


Tempest

by JM_Winters



Series: Storm Saga [1]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Behind Enemy Lines, Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, Catra (She-Ra)-centric, Everyone makes at least a cameo., F/F, For the most part, Gen, Hints of Entrapdak, Not romance driven but hints of it in those interactions are there., Other, The first three parings tend to be our central, catra centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:34:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 23,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24122932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JM_Winters/pseuds/JM_Winters
Summary: War is an unstoppable storm...Horde Prime plans to wipe out the rebellion with the help of the newest addition to his Armada. Glimmer, stuck in prison and attempting to avoid Prime’s focus puts faith in an unexpected ally.Catra might be the lynchpin that saves or dooms Etheria, but at what cost?(Catra tries to right some of her wrongs in perhaps one of the most dangerous ways possible. Canon compliant until Season 5 burns everything down. Now complete! Let’s bask in this being Cannon compliant for all of like 1 hour.)Ps. This ENTIRE fic was thought up, written AND posted between the dates of 05/10 and 05/15 as a personal challenge.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra/Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Series: Storm Saga [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1784296
Comments: 18
Kudos: 162





	1. “You would look magnificent with green eyes. My eyes.”

Catra’s breath has been held so long that it burns in her lungs.

Green eyes stared at her. Only two of them. The other two seem preoccupied with a hologram of Etheria itself. They had long since discussed what the Horde had accomplished on the planet. More specifically, how she had factored into it. She feels those eyes tracing up, then tracing down.

“So I am to believe that most of what you have done has been accomplished in the last…” Horde Prime, Catra quickly has learned, does not ask questions. He demands answers. She is quick to catch the gap in his sentence and to fill it with her own words before his irritation has a moment to surface.

“Six months.” Catra rasps. She keeps her words short. Clipped. A previous attempt to speak more elaborately earned his ire. Her voice was still hoarse from the result.

“Six months?” He echoes. “How interesting. One thousand years, and my little brother couldn’t even conquer a backwater planet and you, his second in command, accomplished most of what I wanted in thousandths of the time.” He hummed thoughtfully before standing up, walking through the hologram between them to stand in front of her. His hand is cold against her skin, rough too. “I think you can stay.”

They are the words she wants to hear because anything else would mean the end of it all for her. However, she also knows she can’t seem too comforted. “Thank you sir.”

“I’ve seen my little brother’s memories. It seems you have been running the show right from under him.” He tilted his head, appraising her. “How incompetent. He truly was a defect.”

Catra tries not to flinch. Horde Prime’s hand still lingers on her cheek, his thumb caressing it and she tries not to flinch. “Hordak~” she makes a noise, somewhere between a gasp and a yelp when black nails begin to dig into her skin, breaking it and sending a trickle of pain throughout her face. She winced and quickly corrected herself. “Clone 256 was only trying to impress you, Sir.”

“Results impress me.” Prime hummed, “sharing my vision impresses me. His disgusting desires do not.” He gave her a toothed grin, pulling away from her. Catra almost slumped with relief. “You must wonder where you fit in. Ordinarily, I would have no use for one such as you.” A pause. The tension he left purposeful. “Given your success with Etheria so far, I’ve decided you may still be useful. Continue to impress me, Catra, and I will find a place for you once you have been remade.”

“Remade?” She echos. 

“Yes. Remade.” Horde Prime seemed slightly irritated at having to repeat himself, and the way he tapped his fingers together bellied a threat she wanted to avoid. “You have potential, but potential is useless without a proper form.” He closed in on her again, so close she could feel his breath on her face as he grabbed her by the chin.

“You would look magnificent with green eyes. My eyes.” He let her go then, returning to his throne and though Catra wasn’t entirely sure what that threat entailed, every sense in her told her it was something bad. She tried to hide how her body trembled and was only too thankful when he gave her an out.

“Our guest, Her Majesty,” Glimmer, he meant. Catra was quickly learning to pick up on Horde Prime’s way of thinking. Catra almost conquered a planet for him, and for such was worthy of having her name known. Glimmer was the enemy turned component in a weapon Horde Prime planned to obtain. To Horde Prime, Glimmer was only a tool for him to use and thus didn’t deserve the courtesy of him knowing even as much as her name. “You said she knew more about this weapon than you do…”

“That’s cor-correct.” She stuttered.

“Be gentle with her.” He smirked, voice taunting. “For now. See what you can find out. If you get nowhere…”

Horde Prime didn’t finish the rest of the thought.  
Catra really didn’t want him to.


	2. “ If my Mother was still here and I did that, she would be so...disappointed.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catra puts wheels in motion.  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact for you y’all purists who like absolutely no spoilers: I will be frank and say I will incorporate details that we have knowledge of for Season 5 as much as possible. Usually in tiny ways because otherwise trying to get this all done in time would be impossible. Considering I’m trying to do this whole story before season 5 drops, well, you have to be realistic on what you can and can’t do, but heads up all the same.

“Hey Sparkles!”

Bravado is what she knows best. How many times has she put on an act purely for the purpose of getting Shadow Weaver twisted in knots because for a brief moment it seemed her tricks weren’t working. Sometimes she wondered how much further she would have gotten with messing right back with Shadow Weaver had Adora not...

Adora.  
Well there was a landmine.

She kept the pain that name brought her from her expression just in time to see a bolt of sparkling energy hurtle towards her face. She would have ducked, had it not been for the force shield in between them. The bolt connected and fizzled out. Moments later, Glimmer’s face was where that bolt had been, her eyes wide and furious.

“What are you thinking!?”

“Hey, Princess,” she taunted half heartedly, “if you didn’t want someone to notice you had a big, powerful weapon, maybe you shouldn’t have gone firing it off?”

“I’m a Queen now,” Glimmer’s eyes flared with rage, “thanks to you and that portal!”

“Right. Your mommy. So sorry about that.” Catra brushed off. “You know, maybe it’s for the best, at least now she doesn’t have to see how pathetic you look in a prison~”

There was something about the physicality of Glimmer practically throwing herself into the force field that truly took Catra by surprise. It was the frenetic energy of it all. How Glimmer charged with no regard for her safety, how she practically roared at Catra, the sound primal and ferocious and frankly terrifying. Catra froze in horror as she watched a current of electricity jolt through Glimmer, heard Glimmer scream in pain, and then be shot across the room to the back of the cell, hitting it hard.

Catra stood in silence. Glimmer sat in silence. Eventually Glimmer spoke up.

“The Horde took my childhood from me.” Catra felt her ears perk up. “They killed my father.” Then Catra’s ears flattened. “They’ve been attacking Bright Moon since I was a kid.” Glimmer’s voice was soft, but level, drained, tired, “you,” her voice broke, “you took my mother from me,” that part made Catra shiver. Not because of the accusation but the sense of defeat. “Now you have me thrown in here, knowing I can’t do anything while the Horde takes Etheria — my home — too. What else do you want?”

“Boo who.” Catra snarled, bringing a hand to the force field. “Well excuse me, Princess!” She mocked, “So sorry that that it hasn’t been all perfect for your whole life like you expected. You know, some of us grow up that way and don’t expect any different.”

Glimmer glowered. “How many people lost their home, their parents because of you?”

“You’re not the only one who’s lost things!” Catra hissed. “I had no parents. No home but the Horde! The only thing I had was her! Then you — if you might have forgotten — took her away from me. You tricked her.”

“Do you mean Adora?” Glimmer lifted her head and stared at Catra for a long moment. “What do you mean I took her away?”

“She was my friend first, Sparkles.” Catra sneered. “Then you came around with your magic and you stole her from me!”

“Adora isn’t a thing!” Glimmer shouted at her. “She’s a person. Maybe you should start by talking about her like she is? If you did, maybe Adora would want to actually talk to you.” When Catra didn’t immediately retort, Glimmer continued, softer. “Adora came to us because she wanted to. We didn’t want her there at first. We thought because she was with the Horde she was bad news, but then...we realized it was a little more complicated than that.”

“Shut up!” Catra, on reflex, covered her ears with her hands. Glimmer just stared.

They were both silent. Catra pulled back a few steps and noticed the guards had shifted, and she sighed, faintly.

“Hey,” her voice was raspy, and Glimmer had to lean in to catch her words, “do you…” a pause, “do you still think she left the Horde to get away from me?”

Glimmer sighed. “I honestly don’t think she did. I never thought that, really.”  
“Then why did she leave me?!” Catra chuckled at how pathetic she sounded.

“Did it ever occur to you that maybe it has nothing to do with...” Glimmer shook her head, “you used to know Adora better than anyone. Do you think she would be okay with knowing she was hurting people? Do you think she would have been so stupid she wouldn’t see through the Horde’s lies eventually?”

“She never saw through Shadow Weaver’s!” Came the instinctive response. “She never helped me with Shadow Weaver! Why change now?”

“Shadow Weaver…” Glimmer inhaled sharply, “parents. Are complicated. Shadow Weaver hurt Adora too, but Adora, she grew beyond that. Is growing beyond that.” Glimmer corrected herself then looked to Catra and stared her down. “Are you?”

Catra pulled her gaze away from Glimmer. She watched the princess sigh, and stare at her hands. 

“You said,” Catra stared at the ceiling, and then sighed, “that she was right when you set the weapon off. Then you tried to stop it.”

“I screwed up.” Glimmer’s hands curled into fists. “I had to fix it. Do whatever I can.”   
“Why? It was already a mess anyways. A hopeless one.”

“Because I wouldn’t be able to face Adora or Bow!” Glimmer’s hands trembled, and she brought them around herself, as if in an embrace. “If I stood back and did nothing to fix everything I screwed up, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. If my Mother was still here and I did that, she would be so...disappointed.”

A beat. Two.

“Look,” Catra sighed, “I’m sorry about your Dad.” Glimmer’s head didn’t rise. “And your Mom.” Catra sighed again, this time louder, harsher. “We’re in deep. Very deep.”

“Telling him about the Heart of Etheria certainly didn’t help!” Glimmer snapped.

“But it kept you alive.” Catra answered in a small voice. “And if you’re alive, you can do something, right?” That got Glimmer to look at her, finally assessing her. “What?”

“Who’s side are you on, Catra?”

“The side that…” Catra held her breath, “doesn’t get me killed once I’m not useful to them anymore. Look, I bought us some time telling him about that weapon.”

“At what cost?”

“I don’t know, but I’m making a plan.” Catra held her breath and released it, “Do you have anything on you that can get in touch with…” she could barely say the name but she steeled herself through it, “with Adora?”

“Why should I hand that to you?”

“Because you’re always going to be watched like a hawk in here. But me?” Catra pointed at herself, “I don’t believe he trusts me fully. In fact, I think he’s testing me to see if I’m worth keeping around for a while, but you’re stuck in here and I’m not. I think that says enough about who’s going to be able to do more right now.”

“What are you going to do if you get through to them? Warn them?”

“No, not quite, they wouldn’t trust me if I did that. I know that.” Catra squatted down and when Glimmer slid the touch pat to her, Catra examined it, “If you don’t mind, I’ll have to pretend to be you for a little while. Send them coded messages.”

“Wouldn’t that get figured out?”

“Not if the Horde captures other key locations.” Catra offered a grim smile.

“Absolutely not! We’ll lose!”

“Then the gig will be up before we even get started.” Catra growled. “Look, I believe Adora can do this, but if he gets Adora and the others, it’s game over!” Her nails cut into the palm of her hand as she closed them and she inhaled and exhaled, gathering herself up. “If this is going to work, then he can’t be suspicious that she’s got information she shouldn’t have too early, or we’re screwed.”

That seemed to leave Glimmer resigned and now curious.

“And after you get in touch with Adora, then what?”  
“We play the long game and hope he doesn’t catch me.”  
“That’s insane!”  
“Do you have any better ideas?”

Silence.

“Didn’t think so.” Catra’s eyes widened. Her ears turned to the sound that caught her attention and she threw a glance over her shoulder. Then, in a louder voice than most of their conversation, Catra added, “I’ll give you some time to think it over, Glitter!” Came a sing-song taunt.

“It’s Glimmer!” Came the knee jerk response.

“Look, Princess.” The smug smile was back, the snide tone was too. “You can tell me about the Heart of Etheria, or I can get Prime to ask you himself! Choice is yours, but I know what I’d pick!”

“How dare you, Catra!”

A glance over her shoulder, a sad smile. “Good acting.” She mouthed. 

“Later, Glitter!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. I know.  
> I made a chapter bump. It won’t be bumped again, I assure. Chapter 7/8 got too long and so it made me realize a bit of a shift needed to happen. I’m writing chapter nine. I hope to have it done before I sleep so I just have two more chapters to do.
> 
> I also said I was going to finish this before Season 5. I’mma hold myself to that as much as possible even though I’m still doing my 40/week. This will be fun!  
> Hence posting and updating in the same day.
> 
> Godspeed me. I will either be proud of this or hate this when it’s done but boy is this an exercise in “stop being hypercritical of your writing to the point where you never share it.”
> 
> Welp. Three and a half days. No time for Beta. We die like men.


	3. “If everyone’s on one side, then there’s no one to pay me.“

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Double Trouble is in the business of art. AKA: driving poor Castaspella up a wall. :)

“At least we know Glimmer’s not…” Bow didn’t finish the sentence and instead switched to, “If we lost Glimmer so soon after Angella, I don’t think we—”

“I’ll save her Bow.” Adora gritted. “I promise.” She was dirty. Clothes torn. She put her head in her hands. “I just don’t know what we’re going to tell her. Bright Moon is...”

“You mean we will save her. You don’t have to do this alone, and Bright Moon? However Glimmer got that message to us, it saved the people. Maybe we lost ground, but everyone’s safe. As long as we’re still alive there’s still a chance!” Bow’s hand rested on her shoulder, but Adora shrugged it off, standing up on shaky feet.

“We need to meet up with Castaspella. Adora.”  
“She told us to rest for tonight, Adora!” Bow accosted. “Burning ourselves out is not going to help!”

“What if they come to Mystacor next? Or the Kingdom of Snows? Then we’ll lose everything! I can’t let Hoard Prime win!” Adora knew she was fraying. She tugged at her hair, sighing. “If only I could be She-Ra right now!”

“Hey,” Bow was grabbing her by both shoulders now, “I know things look pretty bleak right now~”

“This is more than bleak! We’re cornered. If they ever figure out how Mystacor cloaks itself, we’re doomed! This is literally the one and only foothold we’ve got, but yet we’ve got no plan, no power, no Glimmer~”

“Adora.” He interrupted. “You need to rest. Even for just a few hours. You’ve been up for days straight. It’s not going to do you or the Rebellion any good. All of this? It’s still going to be here tomorrow.”

“But Bow…” Adora sighed, closing her eyes. “I just feel so alone right now.”

He gathered her into a hug and squeezed her gently. “You’re not alone. You’ve never been alone. You have all of us.”

Sleep was fitful. It was full of shadows and robots. Of smoke and screams. Of Angella’s quiet smile. Of Glitter blaming her for her lost mother, her lost Kingdom now too. Adora dreamed of Catra, grinning, happy at her misfortune. She imagined Catra standing over a beaten Glimmer, too weak to escape, Horde Prime behind her as she closed in on the recently made Queen with a taser in hand and moved it towards—

Adora was awake with a gasp. Moments later, made restless by her dream she ignored the bags under her eyes that the mirror showed her and headed towards the central chamber. A conversation caught her ears, however, and redirected her towards the cells. The voices began to echo less and became more distinct as she closed in.

“Just how long are you going to keep me in here, darling?”  
“We have no reason to trust you.” It was Castaspella.

“Castaspella, do you think your brother~”

“Or you.” Castaspella interrupted Shadow Weaver with almost a hiss. “Enough, Shadow Weaver. I’m not interested in what lies you have to say. How do I know you won’t just go to the enemy if we let you roam?”

“Because this is different.” Shadow Weaver insisted.  
“How so?”

“Horde Prime is nothing like Hordak. I am a practical woman, Castaspella. I wouldn’t be welcomed there, I would be killed. I know that.” Shadow Weaver noted, “and besides, Micah is alive. All those years lost...”

“Micah wouldn’t have been in a predicament where we thought he was dead for so many years if you never betrayed us!”

“And we’d be stronger against the horde right now if Norwyn listened to me years ago.” Shadow Weaver hissed. “Listen, we can go in circles over who is to blame for what or we can realize that we’re going to have to work together if we want our current problem gone. When it is, you can go back to hating me all you want.”

Castaspella sighed. “What about you? You said yourself earlier, it’s about money for you, isn’t it?”

“Not just the money, darling, but the craft! The artistry has always been at the heart of it!” Came a drawl. That voice, Adora noted, was Double Trouble’s, “But even I can recognize extenuating circumstances. This may be one of them.” Double Trouble hummed, “Good business practice says it’s best to go with the winning side.”

“So…” Castaspella groaned. “What’s stopping you other than this cell?”

“I noticed how our friend Horde Prime does things. He certainly wouldn’t be a patron of the theatrical arts.” Double Trouble let the words float dramatically. “His army all look like Hordak, or are robots. Icky.” They inhaled loudly, then exhaled. “He values conformity, but acting relies on the creativity found through difference! It’s the perfection of the imperfection!” Adora could imagine Double Trouble throwing their arms in the air as they punctuated that fact. “Such beauty simply cannot thrive in tyranny!”

“I don’t care about your dedication to acting.” Castaspella seemed exasperated and at her wits end. “We’re at war. Tell me why I should even think of letting someone who worked for the Horde — for you — to not be in this cell?”

“Oh darling, you can’t rush good story telling,” Double Trouble tittered with laughter, and then brought it quickly under control. “If what we’ve seen is any indication of what life under Horde Prime will be like, then him winning will be very bad for my business.” Another light chuckle slipped past their lips. “If everyone’s on one side, then there’s no one to pay me. Who will know the delight of my acting talent then?”

“No.” Castaspella sounded deeply unimpressed. “You’re both staying here. That’s final.” Adora jumped when she heard footsteps heading her way. She tried to move up the hall, quick enough to not make it seem like she had been eavesdropping but not so quick she’s make noise to draw attention to herself.

“Adora?”

It seemed, given Castaspella’s tone that she managed to fail both. She froze, turning to the woman who led Mystacor and finding worry and concern there.

“Can’t sleep?”  
“Yeah, I,” Adora broke eye contact first, “nightmares.”  
“About Bright Moon?”  
“And everything.” She sighed. “Yeah.”  
“Understandable.” Castaspella looked about and then gestured. “Let’s go for a walk.”

They fell into step easily. Dawn was still at least an hour away and Mystacor was still sleepy, still quiet. Yet it also buzzed, as though the guard, worried about the war, was constantly on edge, waiting, watching, wondering. 

“Can we really win this?” Adora asked after too much silence had passed. The words earned a sigh from Castaspella.

“Is losing really an option we have?” She asked in return. Adora deflated.

“I’ve been steering us into defeat after defeat. They have everything almost. Except here and the Kingdom of Snows. Bright Moon is gone. How am going to explain that to Glimmer when we get her back?” Adora paused. “If we get her back.”

“We will.” Castaspella assured. “And even so, Glimmer would understand. You did a wonderful job getting all of the citizens of Bright Moon here. How did you manage that?”

“She sent a message warning us of the siege.”  
“She did?” Castaspella frowned. “How has she not teleported back here?”  
“I’m not sure. They have her in a holding cell.”  
“But yet she can communicate with us.” Castaspella frowned.

“Seems like.” Adora sighed. “In fact, she’s been warning us of the attacks, of how strong it may be. We’ve been able to decide whether to push or pull back because of it actually.”

Castaspella frowned at that. “I don’t think Glimmer is sending those messages.”

Adora looked at her, wide eyed. “Then who is?”  
“Who else knows this planet well enough to send troops to key locations?”  
“Hordak, maybe?” Adora asked.  
“But then why would Hordak tell you how strong a force is coming?”

Adora broke into a cold sweat as it hit her. Hard.

“Catra?” She whispered. “But why?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep chugging. Keep chugging.
> 
> Guess who’s not going to get a chance at moving to permanent at work?  
> This human that’s who!  
> Covid sucks. Imma write more.
> 
> We live in strange times folks. My one and only semi political rant on this will be the following sentence: don’t forget how many people corporations got to work from home, or how they treated everyone in these times. For all the times they may whine in the future that “that’s not possible” or proclaim “but we really do care about our workers”
> 
> That is all :)


	4. “I knew my eyes would suit you well.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horde Prime always makes good on his promises.  
> Catra finds the way she see things is shifting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here comes some...body horror is the best word I have for it. The thing about body horror though, that makes it so poignant is the imagery being closely related to the concept of some sort of violation. Sooo...
> 
> CW: for bodily violation which given the power dynamic in the situation could be read through the lens of non-con. That’s not what’s happening, nor is what is happening an attempt to make an allegory to it, but at the same time as a writer I cannot ignore that those parallels are there and might make people uncomfortable.

The steel was cold, biting deep into her wrists and ankles, certain to leave welts on her skin. Her breaths were a short staccato that never seemed deep enough to bring oxygen to her lungs. Her head spun as she trembled, trying desperately to get out of these binds.

His voice was by her ear and every hair on her head stood on end.

“I understand, poor soul.” Horde Prime’s voice could be called strangely seductive. Primal. Carnal. He ran the back of his hand down the side of her cheek, down an arm. “I have very high standards, as you know, Catra. Ones you must be moulded into.” A claw poked at her wrist as he tested the restraints, smirking. “Change is difficult. This will help you ease into it.”

“How?” Catra almost spat back.

That clawed hand was at her throat now, squeezing hard as he bent over her. “Did I say you could speak?” Catra wisely chose not to answer and those four green eyes focused on her. She felt caught. Not the cat, but the mouse, trapped between claws as the feline played with his food. “Good girl.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand again as he eased off her throat. “Stay still. It’ll be over soon.”

Catra didn’t know why, but she could feel a sob catch somewhere in the back of her throat. She swallowed it down.

“We made such great progress in Etheria.” Horde Prime hummed lowly as Catra noticed more and more clones gathering around her strapped to this table. “Then, suddenly, She-Ra slipped from our fingers. You either lost your edge or…”

“I-“ she choked for air, “I don’t know where they went!” She gasped, panicked. “Really!”

“Hush now,” Horde Prime beckoned, “I understand. They were your prey first right? You have some attachment to them. That’s okay. I’ll rid you of such useless notions. It won’t hurt if you’ll be good for me. Soon you’ll see the way that I do.”

All she could see when he let her go were the clones. All of them, encircling her, trapping her one by one. There was a needle in her arm next. A familiar face — the eyes were green but something about this clone stood out and she was desperate.

“Hordak!” The clone froze so she tried again. “Hordak!” Those green eyes widened and for the briefest of moments she saw them flicker red. She lifted her body as much as she could. Two of them held her firm to the table. Another grabbed her head. “Hordak please! Don’t let them do this to me! Hordak!”

“How disgusting.” Horde Prime murmured. A sharp pain made everything in Catra’s mind blank out in a white flash and then there was simply nothing.

Catra woke up with a ringing in her ears. Her throat? Dry. Rough as though she had been screaming for hours. Her ankles and wrists? Rubbed raw and scabbed over again. Her knees felt like jello, and she was barely able to push herself half up on shaky arms. 

Looking about told her she was on the bridge, by the throne itself. Her vision was blurry, strange and not her own. Her body didn’t feel like it was hers anymore. It felt warped. Alien to her. She reached up to touch her face, to touch her ears finding everything she recognized but it still felt so foreign.

His boot found her chin, tilting it up so he could look down at her. He was smirking again.

“I knew my eyes would suit you well.”  
“What did—” Her voice cracked, “you do to me?”

“We made a few necessary upgrades. It may take some time getting used to them, but I’m certain you will learn to like it.” Green teeth flashed at her, and something dawned on her. Something which terrified Catra. His mouth? It never moved when he spoke. She just heard him. “My, you really do look great with those. Wonderful. When the rest of your body is done, it’ll be even better. For now though, I suggest you let your body rest. Dismissed.”

Catra stared at him, then stood on shaky legs, feeling pain spike through them. She shuffled woodenly to her quarters before her legs gave way and she caught herself against the wall. She panted for breath as she caught her reflection in the mirror.

Her hair? Cut short. A rough but even chop as if they had no time to be precise. Her eyes? Bright green. Both of them now the same shade as Horde Prime’s. 

The faint ringing she heard caught her attention. It was the first sound she heard that didn’t seem to come from directly within her head. It was a message.

‘Did you think we wouldn’t figure it out?’

The gig was up. At least part of it. Somehow, what should have brought dread and alarm only brought a tiny kernel of relief. One less person to lie to. Catra paused to look around her, and then she tried the comm link. One established, but a crackled, shaky and blurred video of blond hair and furious blue eyes met her.

“Catra.” Adora hissed.

Catra stared at her for what seemed to be an entire minute. Her eyes wide, surprised and taking in the image of her former best friend before her.

“Where’s Glimmer!? What did you do to her?”  
“Hey Adora.” She sounded pained. Lonely. Tired.  
Adora paused, taken aback. “Catra?”

“Sh-she’s as safe as I can keep her.” Catra deflected. “I...don’t know how much longer that’s going to be.”

“What do you mean you don’t know…” Adora paused, “you don’t sound good.”

“Hoard Prime, he~” she tried to finish but couldn’t. Her hand travelled to rest at the base of her throat as she swallowed painfully. All she could hear was a painful ringing in her head, “no one’s safe from him Adora. I’m not safe. She won’t be either. How quickly can you get yourselves into space?”

“Into space?”

“We’re on his Mothership. The quicker you find a way out here, the better. Everyday that passes, he’ll get closer to realizing what I’m actually doing, to getting the information he wants about the Heart of Etheria.” She felt breathless, as though she was steam rolling the conversation, shutting down any space and opportunity Adora could take to have this discussion dissolve into a very unneeded squabble. “If he finds out, I can’t help you save Glimmer.” Her voice cracked. “Or anyone.”

“What will happen to you?”

“I don’t know.” Catra paused. “Adora.”  
“Catra?”  
“I should cut this comm link. If he intercepts it…”  
“Wait, Catra!”  
“I’m going back to Radio Silence now.”

The line cut out and then there was only the ringing in her head to keep her company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m gunning it. There was your evening update. Several hours earlier than yesterday because this fabulous person over here needs to shower, write the penultimate chapter, set up tomorrow morning’s update and hit the freaking hay.
> 
> Speaking of hay: Guess what guys! I just realized Swifty is not in here.
> 
> I’m probably not going to put him in, I’ll be honest (I find him rather...obtuse. We’ll stick with that). Especially considering how little time I am doing this under and that due to said time constraints I already made a character decision in this I’m not sure whether or not it would go over well but fits the tone of the story I’m going for.
> 
> Also: if we’re going to hit chapter 11 by Friday morning that means we have to go through six chapters in the next two days!
> 
> Prepare for triple updates everyone! :) (Shoot me. Why am I doing this again?)
> 
> I would love hearing from you. Reach out to me here or on Reddit. I might join the discord as well, BUT maybe after I’m done writing chapter 11.
> 
> Wish me luck!


	5. “If we HAD to pick someone to sacrifice, would you volunteer?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shadow Weaver low key gets on everyone’s nerves.  
> Adora feels her nerves fraying at the edges.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Morning update! Whee! Stay tuned for an afternoon update too!
> 
> Also: if you’ve been following the titles, yes, I’m using quotes they say to each other in each chapter. I like disconnecting these thoughts from their context and I hope it whets your appetite.

“It’s just like a boat. It’s just like a boat. It’s just like a boat.” Bow kept repeating the words like they were a mantra. Seahawk was beside him, both of them looking at the monitor into the fast sea of stars. Dozens. No thousands of stars.

“If this “Space Ship” sinks into “space”,” Seahawk questioned, “can we swim back to Etheria for safety?”

Mermista groaned and put her hand to her head. “We’ve been over this. You can’t swim in space. That’s why Entrapta made escape pods.”

“But what happens if the vessel caught on fire and kept us from those pods?”  
“You are not setting our space ship on fire!” Mermista and Bow answered together.

Mara’s ship was their only option. Something that both spelled hope to Adora and fear, and judging by Bow’s reaction, there was fear amongst the others.

“Castaspella really wasn’t happy with you.” The low voice caught her ears and she turned to find King Micah beside her, his expression hardened and indiscernible.

“Well, her sister-in-law is gone. Her niece is kidnapped, her supposedly dead brother isn’t dead and instead of staying home is back out on the war front where he could turn into her actually dead brother,” she noticed Micah wince visibly at that declaration, “oh and the teacher who turned on her home and was in prison is with me as well as a Shapeshifter we knew at one point was playing both sides. No, I don’t see why she would be angry at all.” Adora couldn’t help the sarcasm. Stress tended to make her a little quick to snipe and snide, but she worried for a moment that it had gone a little too far.

Until Micah cracked the smallest of smiles. “I can see why Angie likes,” a pause, a sharp breath, “liked you.” He corrected himself. “She always got stuck on the details like that. Some people thought it would drag me down, but if anything, Angie kept me grounded.” A pause. “Like. In a good way. Where you don’t lose your head over the smallest things because she….” he trailed off, smiling, but there was no real joy in it.

“I get it.”

“You really think this is going to work?”  
“We don’t have any option but to make it work.” Adora looked at him. “Are you and Shadow Weaver going to be ready?”

“Yes. We’ll be on that ship before they know we’re here.”

“Entrapta and Seahawk will keep them occupied with the ship, and so will the rest of us who’s going with you. Catra sent a map to us, and she highlighted the area Glimmer is in. Find her and Catra and get out.”

“And Catra?” Shadow Weaver’s voice floated over to them. Adora frowned. “I’m not certain that would be the best of ideas.”

“Are you suggesting we leave her?”  
“I’m merely suggesting Catra only looks out for her best interests.”

“That sounds a lot like someone else I know.” Adora gave Shadow Weaver a pointed look. “Well, if you haven’t noticed, she’s been looking out for us a lot lately.”

“And we know Horde Prime wants you, Adora. How are we sure she’s not laying a trap?” Adora glared at Shadow Weaver. “That’s what I thought.”

“You don’t know anything.”

“Really?” The eyes of Shadow Weaver’s mask widened. “Then why is it that you haven’t told Catra the complete plan?”

“Because she’s under cover.”

“You mean you’re worried she’s compromised or will become compromised.” Shadow Weaver brushed off. “You don’t trust her, do you? You never were a stupid child.”

“I don’t trust you either, Shadow Weaver.” Adora reminded her. “So make your point.”

“We need Glimmer.” Shadow Weaver stated simply, all manipulation forgotten. “Catra will be of no use to us. If anything, she’ll be a liability. We’re better off leaving her there.” With that, she pulled away, and Adora growled about to march after her, but Micah placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.

“That was,” Micha spoke up, catching Shadow Weaver’s ear. She paused, mid step, wondering waiting for what he had to say, “Disappointing, Light Spinner.”

“Don’t call me that, Micah.” Her voice barely floated over to them, acerbic. “I’m only being pragmatic.” Shadow Weaver defended herself, her tone attempting to smooth things over. “Or is common sense lost on all of you?”

“It isn’t.” Micah assured, “but callousness is rather unbecoming.” Shadow Weaver stood very still. “Especially when you can be so casual about it.”

“Not everyone is going to live in a situation like this.” Shadow Weaver’s hair floated and twisted, “that means we must choose who will die. You were a King once. You should understand. The weakest link is always the best pick. Catra is it.”

“You don’t know that for sure!” Adora lambasted, “everyone’s coming home alive. We are not going to leave Catra just because you think it would be easier!”

“What I understood as King,” Micah looked to Adora and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly, “is that if it really comes down to it, one should never impose on someone something they would never do themselves.” His eyes narrowed. “So tell me, Shadow Weaver, if we had to pick someone to sacrifice, would you volunteer?”

Micah and Shadow Weaver stood opposed to each other. The eyes of Shadow Weaver’s mask widened, then narrowed. Her hands, which had been folded neatly in front of her, curled into fists.

“Let me know when our mission begins.” Shadow Weaver left without further word.

“She wouldn’t do it in a million years.” Adora muttered hotly. “Selfish, manipulative~”

“I’ll look for your friend, I promise.” Micah soothed as concern overcame the gentleness of his expression, “though, we also need to be realistic, Adora. If she’s close to Horde Prime and our exit is looking bleak, what do you want us to do?”

Anxiety threatened to choke her. Adora took a sharp breath, made a decision. A painful one.

“Get yourselves and Glimmer out safely. That’s the most important thing.” Adora swallowed hard. “If it becomes too dangerous to get them both, we’ll just…”

“We’ll come back to get her later.” Micah declared.

“Yes.” Adora agreed. “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. Back to work I go!
> 
> Also. Yeah. I couldn’t resist. The story felt incomplete without SW playing a somewhat integral role, but this is still Catra’s story. Consider her little arc in this a B plot. XD
> 
> And since we’re using TV terms, I guess this chapter is my “bottle episode”. XD


	6. “Perfection can’t be forced on the unwilling, and there is no room for imperfections in my universe.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The calvary has arrived.  
> Glimmer and Catra see their opening and make their move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is your afternoon update!
> 
> AVOIDING SPOILERS IS SOOO HARD.  
> But I don’t have time to incorporate any more clips we’ve been shown into this.  
> I REALLY DON’T.
> 
> Quick spoiler warning for “The Dinner” clip. It’s mentioned here. Not played out so it’ll still be fresh-ish if you read this.
> 
> Also another CW for some body horror again and the allusions to other things that come with it.

Glimmer couldn’t pinpoint it. In space there were no suns or moons so to speak. Just stars. Endless stars. Add that the clones and Horde Prime seemed to require no sleep and Glimmer couldn’t even count on a pattern of busy version quiet moments to help her pinpoint how much time had passed.

So instead, she counted time by meals, and when that threatened to get fuzzy, she began scratching the count into the walls under separate things she noticed.

T for total. It had been four hundred and fifty six meals since she had been thrown in here. So far she knew Adora was alive. That drip feeding Horde Prime information about the Heart of Etheria mostly through Catra was working.

Sort of. Part of that plan fell apart during a rare time Glimmer was allowed out of the confines of her room — really a glorified cell. They had dinner and Horde Prime spoke so casually of worlds he wiped out. Showed them Etheria. Showed them Adora.

Glimmer panicked. She cracked. She told him what he wanted. Told him too much. It was dumb, but what else was she suppose to do? Watch her friends die?

If Catra was right — which she seemed to be more and more lately — their little attempt at withholding information from Horde Prime while sneaking information back to Etheria might not work for much longer. That is, if it was even working at all. That’s why she was glad for one of her messages that she told Catra to send. No location. No further information just one sentence:

‘If Bright Moon is taken, find Castaspella.’

Mystacor’s magic seemed to offer them the protection of eluding the Horde. It was invaluable. A little time to regroup could turn the tide, Glimmer told herself. Which is how that entire dinner fiasco happened: Horde Prime, now furious at being unable to track down She-Ra’s base of operations and having no further information on She-Ra had put more of his focus on the weapon. He must have thought that in the process of hunting down the Heart of Etheria, Adora wouldn’t be able to sit back waiting and come out into the open.

He was right.

This wasn’t a good thing, the fact that he had played Glimmer so easily and so well. If Catra was to be believed, Glimmer might be seeing Horde Prime again soon if this held out. She shuddered just thinking about it.

C for Catra. The last time she saw Catra was eleven meals ago. Two meals before that, slipped in with her dinner tray was her communications pad. No explanation, but Catra’s appearance two meals later gave her disturbing news.

“It’s going to be safer with you right now.”

“I thought you said I was being too closely watched?” Glimmer whispered furiously as she came up to the forcefield containment.

“He’s on to me.” Catra whispered back. “To us and what we’re doing.”

“Did you slip up? Tell him something?” Glimmer felt a frantic charge in the air. “Did he threaten Adora again?”

“I’ve been…” there was far too much a pause in that statement “good.” Catra assured, but Glimmer wasn’t sure she believed her, “I just don’t think he fully bought that I’m in this to serve him. That’s...becoming a real liability.”

“Can’t you just…” Glimmer waved her hands in the air, “I don’t know, fake it more?”

Catra bowed her head. “Honestly?” She sighed. “I don’t think I have it in me.”  
“He is…” Glimmer inhaled, tightened his jaw, “evil.”

“I was stupid. So stupid. I spent so much time thinking…” she shook her head and backed up a few steps. “Keep it. I can’t be caught with that thing or we’re in real trouble. Whatever he’s planning for me? It’s coming. Soon.”

“How do you know? Did he say something?”

“No.” Catra shook her head. “But I have a gut feeling. You need to tell Adora.”

“You mean you haven’t?” Glimmer hissed.

“Look, you’ve already kept things from me before!” Catra put her hand up to the wall, then sighed. “Wherever Adora and them went to hide out~”

“Mystacor.”

“That.” Catra’s unsettlingly newly green eyes caught Glimmer’s and then darted away, “I don’t know anything about it. That was for the best. That was well played.”

“You’re okay with the fact that I didn’t trust you?” Glimmer’s eyes fell to the ground.

“Given everything I’ve done?” Catra frowned. “Not to mention the situation we’re in?”  
“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. If we keep him talking to me and not you, we don’t have to worry so much about him goading you into giving him answers again.” Catra saw Glimmer trouble her lower lip with her teeth and she tried not to think too much about that disaster of a dinner they had. “If you keep details from me while we’re at it — I can’t lie about something I don't even know about. If I’m not lying, I don’t have to worry about him seeing through me and forcing me to answer. Get me?”

“I’m not sure.”

“The haircut? It wasn’t because I wanted a change.” Catra’s voice was shaking. “The fancy new eyes? The...thing,” she spoke of it with disgust, “in between my shoulder blades? He calls them upgrades, Glimmer.” Catra inhaled sharply and pushed forward, “I am terrified of him. Of what he’s been doing to me. He has his clones hold me down while he,” she saw the horror on Glimmer’s face. The words she was going to continue with seemed to evaporate on her tongue. “Pretty soon he’s going to be able to do to me whatever it was he did to Hordak.”

“Are you going to be okay?”

“I know what I’ll do if Horde Prime realizes Adora’s here, but I can’t have them give me any more information about what they’re going to do.”

“You’ve been doing okay so far, haven’t you?” Glimmer raised her hand up to the forcefield between them, over where Catra’s hand was. A facsimile of a touch that they couldn’t have. “If you get cut out of the loop now, it’s going to be harder for them to get both of us to safety.”

“I can’t risk knowing more.” Catra pressed, “I’m pretty sure I’m close to cracking. If he catches me in another lie he’ll…” she paled, her face shining with sweat as she lapsed into silence.

Glimmer looked at her gravely. “Catra?”  
“What is it Sparkles?” She snapped suddenly.  
Glimmer rolled her eyes, but gave her the best smile she could manage. “Stay safe.”  
“No promises.”

Glimmer’s reverie was smashed — almost quite literally, by Catra herself punching the door pad with a hiss. She had a hood over her head. She was frantically typing into the keypad. One of her hands was the deep bluish purple of Horde Prime’s skin. The code she used denied her again and Catra grew restless.

“What is it, what’s going on?”

“We have intruders.” Her voice sounded odd. Foreign “and a spaceship was just spotted in the distance.” Strained. Her voice sounded strained. Like it was raw.

“Adora’s here.” It was a comment, not a question.

“You need to go, Glimmer. Now.” Catra typed in another code, and then hissed at it when it denied her again. “He knew they were coming. I had a feeling. The code he gave me is a fake. We’re in trouble.”

“How am I going to get out of here?”

“Maybe we can overload the console.” Catra tried, “and that should let it flicker long enough for you to teleport.”

“How is that going to work? Am I going to just pop into outer space?”

“Chill.” Catra’s features could be barely made out beneath the cowl she wore but Glimmer saw her grin. “I told him about your glitter bolts. Not your teleportation.”

“They’re energy blasts!” Glimmer gritted, then froze, “wait, he doesn’t know I can teleport?”

“Nope. You’ve been too scared to try.”  
“I wasn’t ‘scared’ to,” Glimmer protested, “We’re in the middle of space! I don’t even know if I can teleport that far, nevermind if I could take you with me!”

“And I ‘conveniently’ forgot that you could do that when he asked me about your powers.” Glimmer blinked at Catra, and from beneath the hood she spotted a smirk on those lips. “He shouldn’t be set up to block that, and the confusion of the fighting should buy you enough time to find out how Adora and the others got here. Hopefully their ride is a lot closer than teleporting to Etheria would be.”

“So how do we overload~”

A blaster went off. A bright green light hit Catra from behind and she screamed, falling heavily into the wall, barely standing. She gasped, and turned behind her to see one of the clones. 

Above them, on a monitor, Horde Prime’s face loomed, victorious. Smug.

“I had such hopes for you.” He hummed, lips twisting into a smile. “You were really taking to those upgrades quite well. You’re the first subject we’ve had who hasn’t died on the table in the first operation.” He shrugged, nonplussed. “Perfection can’t be forced on the unwilling, and there is no room for imperfections in my universe.” A frown flashed on his features, but he waved it away. “I will give some credit though. You have served as excellent bait. It seems She-Ra has stopped hiding and has come to me. I’ll have to thank you for that. Today I will kill a rebellion leader, and tonight, a rebellion.”

“Catra!” Glimmer yelled, startling her back into awareness. “Catra, get up!”

Dazed, she turned to look at the clone. At one of hundreds of effigies to Horde Prime himself and frowned. Wait. This wasn’t any clone.

“256.” Catra breathed. “Hordak.” The clone, like last time, froze, uncertain. Then he began charging up his beam.

“256.” Horde Prime confirmed for them, “Finish her off, would you? Leave the Princess in her cell. She can have what remains of her dear friend keep her company.” Just as Hordak fired, she sank to her knees and the blast hit the console. 

The forcefield shuddered. Glimmer ran out, firing bolts at Hordak, one after the other, teleporting before his cannon could hit her before she summoned the familiar form of her father’s staff and hit him across the head.

He fell. Still. Catra limped over to him and began tugging at his cannon covered arm. Glimmer looked at her, then to the entrance to the hold when dozens of foot steps began marching towards her.

“We should get going. Like really get going. Catra?”

“One second,” Catra winced as she tugged at Hordak’s limp arm, and nearly fell when she tore something off of it. “I noticed despite thinking Hordak’s a failure, he seems to have a bit of fondness for him. I followed him a few times. Noticed he had access to a few restricted areas.” In her hands were what looked like some sort of bracer, but it was metallic and lit up like it had a screen. “This might be useful, right?”

“You’re brilliant.” Catra smirked at her as she slipped the bracer on her own arm before collapsing. Glimmer dove and caught Catra underneath the arms, and everything seemed to spin away and become weightless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Horde Prime seems to get so many of these quotes for the chapters.
> 
> I feel bad because he really is the sort of villain who works best always looming in the dark where you can’t quite see him until the very end.
> 
> I find villains whom we only get of hint here and there into how their mind works (and how disturbing it is) but otherwise stay superficial tend to be unsettling. I like me some sympathetic villains, but part of that sympathy only works because you have removed how threatening they seem.
> 
> Alright. I’m finishing up Chapter 10 because you’ll be seeing that tomorrow.  
> Then 11! Wee! (I’m so tired. This is both an interesting experiment and a lot)


	7. “This. Is. Not. What. We. Planned.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glimmer and Adora would LOVE to catch up.  
> Too bad they are in the middle of escaping.  
> Shadow Weaver has a comment or two on priorities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man. Time is ticking. JM is growing weary. Writing is still happening. *inhales and exhales* a little extra encouragement, if you can spare it, to get through this challenge would be appreciated.
> 
> I always like to know a bit about those who might be enjoying, so do say hello if you have the energy to.
> 
> Here is your night update!

“More clones!” Glimmer was breathless as she teleported away.

When she found another destination, this one quiet, she shifted the barely conscious Catra and watched as she coughed so hard she trembled and could barely stand. 

“Looks like we found a quieter spot for a moment.” Glimmer spoke to her, then sighed when Catra shifted and her head landed in the crook of her shoulder.

“Yay.” Her tone was listless. Catra’s skin felt warm and dry. Too try. Glimmer tried not to think of it as she readjusted her grip on her and listened.

There was fighting up ahead.

“It’s the others!”  
“You need…” Catra began coughing again, “to get out of here.”  
“We need to get out of here.” Glimmer stressed. “You’re a part of this too now.”

The world disappeared underneath their feet and before they knew it, time rushed back and so did the floor. Catra slipped from her grip and hit it hard. Glimmer tried to grab her but instead had to focus on firing bolts at approaching clones, just when an arrow flew past.

“Glimmer?”  
“Bow!”  
“Is that Catra?”

“Talk later. I can explain.” Glimmer charged up more bolts. She teleported too and fro, but not venturing so far she couldn’t pop back over to protect the prone Catra. She was somewhat relieved to find Catra standing though, scratching at anything that got close before slumping against the wall as if she could barely hold her own weight.

“Adora,” she heard Bow call over their communicator as the numbers of clones around them started to trickle, “I got her.”

“Glimmer?” Adora asked, awed, “Bow? You have Glimmer?”  
“That’s what I just—”

“Glimmer, are you there?” Adora seemed overwhelmed. “Say something, please?”  
“Adora, it’s me.” She looked to Bow, concerned

“Just how long was I gone?” She whispered when the sound of fighting overtook the conversation with Adora.

“Over five months.” He whispered back.  
“That long!?”  
“Yeah. We were starting to think we wouldn’t see you again.”

“Thank Etheria you’re okay.” A gasp as Adora burst into the conversation agani. “Are you okay?” Adora sounded breathless and utterly frantic. “Did Horde Prime do anything to you, are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, really.” Glimmer promised, “he treated me well, surprisingly. Catra though…”  
“What do you mean?”  
“I have Catra. She’s with us. She’s in rough shape.”

“You have…” Adora trailed off, breathless as if in wonder or shock or joy — Glimmer wasn’t quite sure which but the sound of her running quieted, “okay.” Adora breathed heavily. “Try to meet up with Micah and Shadow Weaver.”

“Micah?” Glimmer echoed, eyes wide.

“We can get into it later, Glimmer, I promise. Right now we need to get you out of here.” Adora pressed. “You should be able to pick up Scorpia along the way. I’ll tell Entrapta to expect us all soon. Mermista and Perfuma should be near me and Frosta. Netossa and Spinerella should still be covering our rearguard. Once we meet up, Micah, Shadow Weaver and you are going to have to get everyone out.” A pause, “If you can Glimmer. If not, we can figure something out.. Are you alright? Are you sure that’s not going to strain you?”

“Even if it does, it’s worth the shot.” Glimmer dismissed, “I’m worried about Catra. The sooner we get out of here, the better.”

“Right. See you on the other side then.” Adora confirmed, “and Glimmer?”  
“What is it?”  
“It’s...really good to hear your voice again. Really. Be careful. Please?”

Bow and her were sprinting. Somewhat. They half carried half dragged Catra between them before ducking to avoid a bolt of lightning. Then, they saw Scorpia, her eyes widened at who they carried and before they could even say a word, Scorpia lifted Catra in her arms.

“Wildcat! You’re alive!”  
“Not for much longer if you keep making that much noise.” Catra groused.  
“Don’t worry guys, I’ve got her! I’ve got her!”  
“No one—” Catra coughed, “asked you.” But the smallest of smiles could be seen.

Scorpia practically crushed her into a hug that quickly ended when Catra yelped in pain and then became listless. It was then that Scorpia started to take a closer look at her: at her arm that was that weird bluish purple of Hordak’s skin. At how her hood had fallen back revealing her short shaggy hair, messy and covering half her face. When Scorpia gently moved the hair she saw patches of that strangely coloured skin on her face there.

“What...did they do to you?”  
“I don’t want to talk about it.”  
“But~”

“Look Scorpia,” Glimmer put her hand on Scorpia’s arm, “we aren’t going to be able to fix it if we get ourselves caught here.” She reached a hand out to Bow who nodded. “Where’s Shadow Weaver and….” Glimmer paused, “Micah?”

“They’re our Vanguard.” Bow informed, “They were going to cause the most disruption and push towards the bridge. Frosta, Perfuma, Mermista and Adora were going to keep them from getting swarmed and me and Scorpia came to find you.”

“Seahawk?”  
“With Entrapta. On Mara’s ship, fighting other ships.”  
“So you saved Entrapta after all.”

“Look, I know it was against your orders as Queen—”

“Bow. It’s okay. I know I was wrong. Let’s just get out of here and find out how we’ll win this war and then we can talk about that other stuff later.”

Catra stirred in Scorpia’s arms just as everything spun around them and shifted. Where they landed next, everything was in chaos. Blasters shot from every direction. Magic shot back. Adora dodged magic and blasters alike and swung hard with her staff, spiking robot and clone as she went.

Bow went on the offensive immediately, firing off arrows after arrows at the Clones. Nets that tied them down, kept them from attacking. Glimmer shot bolt after bolt as they pushed through towards the bridge where glowing runes were thrown, warping the air and leaving it charged with energy.

“My Queen!”  
“Shadow Weaver.” Glimmer breathed.  
“And Catra.” Shadow Weaver noted, less enthusiastically.

Catra somehow managed a smirk. “Shadow Weaver.”

“Glimmer?”  
“Dad?”

“Hey! Reunion time can happen later! We’re kind of losing ground here!” Netossa called out as she backed towards them from a corridor. “What’s the plan?”

“We’re getting overwhelmed,” a blast of wind hit two robots into each other, “and running ragged.” Spinnerella stopped just feet from them. “Where’s Adora?”

“She was right behind me!” Frosta called from the corridor behind them. “We got split up!” She froze a trio of robots before skidding in beside them. 

“Going solo is the worst thing we can do right now!” Micah turned to Shadow Weaver, then nodded to her.

“I’ll start the spell.” Shadow Weaver declared.  
“Wait, are we leaving her behind?” Glimmer stared at her, shocked. “The others too?”  
“The longer we stay here the more likely all of us will be captured.”  
“You are not leaving Adora here!”  
“This is war, My Queen. It’s not as simple as making an order.”

“Both of you,” Micah called over his shoulder as he blasted a bot that had veered worryingly close. “Stop. We don’t have time.”

“Argh!”  
“Glimmer, wait!” Bow called out as Glimmer disappeared.

“This. Is. Not. What. We. Planned.” Shadow Weaver hissed as the circle of runes around her glowed. Everyone seemed tense, but some of that tension seemed to ease when two other familiar faces knocked through more robots as they ran through them to the circle of runes.

“Dozens of robots down!” Perfuma announced.  
“Thousands to go.” Mermista declared as they grouped up into the center of the spell with Shadow Weaver. “Ugggghh! When do we get out of here?”

“Now would be great, wouldn’t it Micah?” Shadow Weaver spoke between clenched teeth. “If only Adora and Glimmer would get over here.”

“I’ll wait for them.” Micah declared.

“Me too.” Catra tapped on Scorpia’s arm to put her down, and she wobbled.

“Hey...Wildcat?” Scorpia hovered close, not moving towards the circle, the silent gesture clear. She was taking Catra’s lead. “You sure about this?”  
“I’m not going until Glimmer does.”

“Since when did you have a spine for someone other than yourself?” Shadow Weaver asked, astonished.

“Look, just use your magic and get out of here! I’m staying.”  
“If you ask me~”  
“I didn’t.” Catra growled, interrupting Shadow Weaver. “Now leave.”  
“Micah?”

“Go.” He urged. “Take who you have. I’ve got everyone else.”

Shadow Weaver turned to Catra, her eyes narrowing. “Don’t get them killed.” And in a shine of magenta light, she was gone, leaving only Bow who stepped out of the circle as well and began firing off more arrows.

“History?” Micah asked with a small smirk as he crushed another robot with his staff. Catra almost collapsed with the effort of slashing one down with her claws. “I know what that can be like.” Micah continued, taking Catra’s lack of answer as an affirmative.

A shining light doused them, and Glimmer and Adora appeared, hugging each other tight. Catra frowned, but then looked to Micah.

“Now seems like a perfect time.”  
“To leave. Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Shadow Weaver. At the end of the day Micah may have had a point.
> 
> And with that folks, I sleep so I can go into work tomorrow.


	8. “Everything we choose to do decides who we are and are becoming.“

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shadow Weaver is a....very mean person.  
> Glimmer shows Catra a little favour. They’re totally friends now.  
> Horde Prime looms ever closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your morning update.

Catra doesn’t remember much of her trip to Mystacor with the others. It was a bit of a blur she remembers in bits and pieces as foggy as her head was. She remembers barely speaking to Glimmer though. Each time she tried to see the young Queen, one of the Princesses pulled Glimmer away to speak to her, or hug her or something.

It was weird, seeing so many people just do that much touching. 

She didn’t know what to make of it. So she took to being as unnoticed as possible, finding a corner where she noticed Adora and Glimmer the most. They stood with Bow, frequently in some sort of embrace, smiling, exhausted, but clearly happy. Catra couldn’t help but glare at the sight and maybe she was kidding herself but a few times she swore she saw Glimmer look over and seem...sad.

And Adora too. She would look over and her brows would furrow in this way Catra always remembered Adora doing when she was mad but she wasn’t quite sure she ought to be. So she skulked the entire long trip back. Scorpia was there, but she could hardly hear Scorpia’s words over the constant buzz in her head.

“You know, Catra,” she’d know that taunting voice anywhere, “jealousy is quite unbecoming.”

She hissed, hackles raised as she turned and found herself face to mask with Shadow Weaver. “I’m not. Jealous.”

“It must be so hard to have been through the ordeal you experienced and get back and find no one wants anything to do with you.”

“I’m not jealous.”

“Of course you are.” Shadow Weaver gestured at the trio when they passed by, and Catra’s eyes narrowed at her. “You’re not a stupid girl Catra. I think you know you’ve been replaced.”

“I stopped caring about Adora ages ago.” Catra’s nostrils flared and she rounded on Shadow Weaver, “and I care about what you think of me even less now.”

Shadow Weaver, if Catra could see her lips, would probably be smiling. She reached out and touched Catra’s cheek. She jerked away. “Oh no, I can see that. You’ve grown. You’re not jealous over Adora. You’re jealous of her.”

Catra’s breath caught and then she narrowed her green eyes. “You’re just projecting, aren’t you?”

“My Young Queen was surviving just like you.” Shadow Weaver explained drolly, “It only makes sense that in a wretched place like that even she would consider clinging onto mangey animals.”

“You would know all about that yourself, wouldn’t you?” Catra bared her fangs in a snarl. “What do you want, Shadow Weaver?”

“From you? Nothing. There is nothing you could give that would be of value anyways.” She snapped. “We should have left you to rot. Like we discussed.”

“Still salty about what I did to you?”  
“No, I’m concerned you’re going to doom us all.”  
“Right. Because I’m more likely of doing that than someone like you are?”

Shadow Weaver grabbed her by the collar and pulled her close, her eyes wide set, furious as she breathed heavily behind her mask.

“Your eyes are green now.” Catra shivered in her grip as Shadow Weaver shook her down. “I know you. Better than anyone. I know what lengths I would have gone to live through hell, and I know the eyes of someone who has seen hell. I know you would have done exactly the same if it meant living another day!”

“Based on what?” Catra spat back, but she sounded more terrified than defiant.

“Oh Catra,” there was a creeping smile in that voice, “I know what it’s like to live and have to fight, and fight and fight, and still have nothing. Be nothing. Feel nothing. I know you would do anything to survive. I’m surprised My Queen didn’t end up dead with you as the only person who had her back.”

“Well,” Catra forced a smile, “maybe you just don’t have standards. But I do!”

“Leave her alone, Shadow Weaver!”

As if burned, Shadow Weaver let go of her, and turned to face the voice. Glimmer stood there, a bolt of energy in her hand and directed at Shadow Weaver. Glimmer gestured with her free hand, and when Shadow Weaver hesitated, the hand that held the bolt moved closer.

“My Queen,” Shadow Weaver grew very still, “I can explain.” She soothed.  
“Catra has been through enough.” Glimmer’s voice was shaking. “Back off.”  
“It’s not what it looks like.”

“Then what. Is. It.” Glimmer raised her hand. Shadow Weaver’s hair coiled around her almost protectively.

“She can’t be trusted. She could never be trusted. Catra will always look out for herself and that can be dangerous when we have a war to win!”

“Try a different angle.” Glimmer demanded.

“Horde Prime did something to her.” Shadow Weaver tried instead, Glimmer flinched and looked to Catra. Catra quickly looked away. “You can see her eyes, can’t you, My Queen? They’re green now. The same colour as his.” The Sorcerer steepled her hands together. “Whatever he did might make her a liability to us.”

“Really? Even now, the only thing you can focus on is tearing someone down? In a war!” Glimmer let the glowing bolt go out. “You keep telling everyone how much use you’ll be, how much power we have, how much more we could have with you at our side.” She shook her head. “But all you do is wedge yourself where you’re not wanted and ruin everything you touch! You think she’s a liability? What about you?”

“But Horde Prime did do something to her, didn’t he?” The tone was thoughtful.

“War or not, you do not get a pass on terrorizing any of my friends,” Glimmer shut down Shadow Weaver’s line of discussion. “do you understand?” Glimmer hissed.

Shadow Weaver said nothing.

“Well?”

“I do, Your Majesty.” Shadow Weaver then whirled, her hair floating above her as her hands began to glow, “Forgive me, this will be for our own good.”

Glimmer teleported between them, magical bolts in both hands. “Get away from her!”

Shadow Weaver held up both of her hands in resignation, dipped her head and left the room. Glimmer stood still as a statue, breathing hard for several moments. Catra wasn’t sure when, but she found Glimmer looming over her sometime after that — she was curled up on the ground.

“Hey.” Glimmer forced herself to smile. “Are you okay?”

“Don’t. Touch me.” She panted. Glimmer held up both hands.

“I won’t.” She paused for a moment, then looked at a spot along the wall. “Can I sit beside you?”

“Sure.”

Glimmer sank to the floor about a good three feet away, looking up at the nearest monitor in their room on the ship. “Mystacor is really beautiful you know.”

“Hmm.” Catra grunted.

“Maybe you’ll be able to relax a bit there.” Glimmer paused, “well, as much as possible given we’re still fighting the Horde.”

“Yeah.”

“I was thinking,” Glimmer began softly, “maybe you should tell the others about what was happening to you.” Catra stiffened, her jaw tightened. “You don’t have to tell them everything.” Glimmer pushed on, almost as if she could sense Catra’s growing tensions, “but even just a little bit might help them understand why you’re so jumpy?”

“Oh, and after everything I did to them, do you think they’re going to be sad I got a little messed up by Horde Prime?” Catra gritted her teeth. “They’ll say I deserved it.”

“They won’t.” Glimmer insisted, grabbing Catra by the shoulders to look at her and hold her steady. “Really. They’re not those kinds of people.” Catra flinched away and Glimmer pulled back instantly. “I’m sorry, I should have asked I~”

“What will they say instead?”

“I don’t know.” Glimmer sighed, her hands still shrinking away. “But… the thing is, we’re in extraordinary circumstances and you did something over and beyond for us. The worst part is, none of us are sure what that’s cost you yet.”

“Do you think…” Catra tilted her head back until it hit the wall behind them and she closed her eyes, “the cost was high enough?”

Glimmer blinked. “High enough for what?”  
“To make up for...things.” Catra paused. “Like your Mom.”

Glimmer stopped looking at her then.

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have asked that.” Catra lifted her head from the wall and then slammed it back hard, hissing at the sting of pain.

“That’s like me asking if winning this war will make up for the fact that for a while there I used my so called best friends as tools.” Glimmer murmured. “I don’t think cost scales that way. That doing something else that gets you hurt for their benefit is appropriate punishment or that doing something good in general fixes it. I think…” Glimmer tripped over her words, fumbling as though her brain needed time to catch up, “...all we can do is just do better. Be better.”

“You really think it’s that easy?”

“I think it’s the opposite of easy.” Glimmer shook her head. “Think of it. Every moment. Everything we choose to do decides who we are and are becoming. Every action, no matter how small, plays a role in that.”

“You’re interesting, Queenie.”  
“Queenie?”  
“That’s my new nickname for you when you’re feeling self righteous.”  
“Well...gee.” Glimmer pouted. “Thanks.”

“Oh look,” she playfully shoved Glimmer, “Queenie is a cute pouter too. Who knew.”  
“Okay,” Glimmer giggled, “that’s the last time I sit on the floor and cheer you up!”

Catra froze, stunned by the sound. At how she had known the young queen for what seemed like such a long time and yet she had never heard her laugh, seen her smile. It was brief, but she hoped that it wouldn’t be the last time. Hoped it wouldn’t be such a rare sight either.

Glimmer blinked at her sudden silence. “Catra?”  
“Thanks Glimmer.” Catra’s eyes darted to her hands on the floor, “for helping me out with Shadow Weaver there.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Other than that, on the trip home she didn’t speak to Glimmer. Etheria was a welcome sight, but Mystacor was strange and odd and as much beauty as it supposedly held, Catra got to see none of it. She wasn’t sure on the exact details, but Adora seemed more tense than usual and Glimmer, despite her efforts to break the news, seemed upset.

“It’s not what I wanted. But it's what everyone thinks is best for now.”  
“Everyone who?”  
“Catra, please, just go along with it for now. I’m going to keep talking to Aunt Casta, convince her that this is unnecessary.”

Mystacor’s prison was better than the Horde’s. There was a bed. She wasn’t chained. The food while truly odd held more flavour than ration bars and didn’t revoltingly remind her of her and Glimmer’s ‘special dinners’ with Horde Prime. It was, in an odd way, comfortable.

Adding to that was the hilarity of having the woman who tried to shake her down and leave her with the Horde Armada to rot being down here. Especially when she noticed that she got visitors but Shadow Weaver did not. Who was jealous of who in the end? Catra found the reality of it somewhat humorous.

“You can keep snickering all you want.” Shadow Weaver sniped. “If he finds us here, it’s your fault, and you’re going to have to live with it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“That many robots. That many clones.” Shadow Weaver looked up from the book she was reading, “we should have never come back from that mission alive. But we did. No casualties. No major injuries. Except yours.”

“What’s your point?”

“By all accounts, we shouldn’t have been anywhere near as successful as we were. We knew that but still went.” Shadow Weaver closed her book with a resounding snap and stared right at her. “It seems all a little too easy, don’t you think?”

“Maybe….” Catra was breaking out into a cold sweat, “or maybe we got really lucky?”

“You don’t get it, do you, Catra?” Shadow Weaver’s chuckle was menacing. “This is war. You don’t ‘get lucky’. You get herded into your own slaughter.”

That thought simply wouldn’t leave her. Neither would the nightmares. She would thrash and scream. She would beg for the clones to stop. Maybe it was mercy, or maybe she was simply sick of being kept up at all weird hours but somewhere after the fifth or seventh night of terrors, when Castaspella came in, Shadow Weaver merely pointed to Catra’s curled up, shivering form and said in a very soft voice.

“She isn’t well enough to be in a prison.”

A change of clothes, ones that no longer resembled what she wore on the Horde trip. A new room. Access to baths. It was surreal, but still, she felt faint, ill. Glimmer came by regularly, and if it wasn’t her, it was Scorpia. So it was a surprise when one evening the visitor that came was Adora.

She sat on the edge of the bed furthest from Catra, staring in a different direction.

“Glimmer mentioned how badly hurt you were by~”

“If that’s the only reason why you’re here, then you can go.” Catra glowered, then rubbed her ears. There was a low whine she could hear but it seemed to be only her. Refusing to indulge Adora, Catra stared out at the night sky, to all those little dots. To the stars. Adora flinched but didn’t move from her spot at the foot of the bed.

“I’m glad you’re out of there, and safe.”

“Shadow Weaver said you wanted to leave me behind.” Catra shrugged. The ringing got louder. She found a star to stare at. “Sorry I crashed your party.”

“She’s lying! She was the only one who wanted that!” Adora insisted.  
“And why do you say that?” Catra felt her temple jab.  
“Why did you help us instead of joining Horde Prime for real?” Adora threw back.

“I thought that’s what I wanted. Turns out I was wrong.” Catra explained simply.  
“And what was it that you want?”

“Nuh-uh!” Catra stuck out her tongue. “Follow the rules, Adora! I asked a question first. You don’t get to ask two before answering any!”

Adora and her both looked at each other before giggling. The giggling turned to laughter turned to Catra on her back and Adora on her side as the laughs turned back into giggles and they sobered up, staring at each other.

“We’re not five anymore, Catra.”  
“You’re evading…” Catra half spoke, half sung.  
“And what are you going to do, tickle me?”  
“I’ll answer that after you answer my question.”

“Fine,” Adora breathed out a stream of air, “Because it’s the right thing to do. Because, even after everything, you’re still Catra. You’re still that girl I grew up with. My best friend. I’m not sure I’ll be able to forgive you, but that doesn’t mean I want something bad to happen to you.” Adora sighed. “I was set on getting you both back from the get go. Maybe not in that first mission, but that was always my goal in this.”

“How noble.” Catra grimaced, pinching the bridge of her nose. The ringing got worse.

“Not like it’s doing me much.” Adora sighed. “Even with the information you risked your life to send us all I was able to do was keep us from getting killed. We still hit loss after loss after loss.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help more.” Catra sighed and found another cluster of stars.

“Catra, it’s not your fault. I’m just happy you and Glimmer survived. That you helped her, that you both got out I don’t know what I would do if…” Adora trailed off. 

“You…” Catra finally turned to face her, “really care about her, don’t you?”  
“She is like family to me. Angella was too.”

Catra tried to avoid the stab of frustration, the urge to ask whether she was ever like that to Adora and instead said. “I’m sorry I put your family in jeopardy and hurt them.”

Adora froze. She didn’t breathe for nearly twenty seconds. When she did, she looked to Catra, wide eyed. “When this is over, we should talk.”

“Why can’t we talk while it happens?” Catra rolled her eyes.  
“We...don’t have time.” Adora looked away.

Catra‘s hands curled into fists in her lap. “Then make the time.”

“The Rebellion is leaving Mystacor. Probably tomorrow.” Adora informed her. She reached out for Catra’s hands and held one. Catra let it uncurl and found it squeezed between Adora’s. “We’re going to start testing Entrapta’s new weapons.”

“Entrapta?” Catra kept her face neutral. “So she got what I swiped from Horde Prime’s ship?”

“She’s been working away at it for ages. That computer you got helped and Double Trouble has been sneaking us what they can while undercover.”

“You even got them in on this?”  
“It’s for Eternia. If we don’t pull together, Horde Prime will win.”

“Well then,” Catra cracked her knuckles and smirked “when we leave Mystacor~”  
“You’re staying here.” Adora shook her head. “You’re still not well.”  
“I’d rather fight than stay here waiting to see if I’ll be dead.”

Adora sighed. Then she chuckled. “I...had a feeling you’d say that.”  
“Don’t bother trying to stop me either.” Catra chuckled, but suddenly it cut short.

A stab of pain burned through her head more harshly than the dull throbs from before. She gasped for air, as if drowning when the ringing in her head blocked out all other sounds. She clutched at her head and curled up tightly for what seemed like hours. When she opened her eyes, Adora looked at her worried.

“Micah...mentioned there might be a healing spell that could help. I…” Adora suddenly seemed nervous. “Maybe we should see him about that. Sooner than later.”

The ringing in her head got louder, loud enough that she thought her head would split. When Catra looked up, her strange, alien green eyes glowed. Adora gasped, and leapt back when Catra lunged for her. She half tripped over the bed and Catra was on top of her. Her forearm pressed hard into Adora’s throat and she could hear Adora choking. Feel her struggling beneath her.

Adora was practically flailing to get Catra off, but she just held her as still as possible as the oxygen became scarce and Adora’s eyes grew unfocused.

“Found you.” The voice that spoke those words sounded warped. Unnatural and yet familiar. Adora’s eyes widened.

“Horde Prime.”

“Goodbye, my oldest enemy.”

The night sky of Mystacor suddenly grew as bright as the height of noon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SW almost had the quote. But...I think Glimmer’s point to Catra wins.
> 
> Don’t hate me for the cliffhanger. You’ll know what happens soon enough. :)


	9. “I’m holding an entire city in my hands right now...a city, I might add, that we’re still in.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mystacor falls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s your afternoon update. Chapter 11 is still being written. ASDFDFFDRJK!
> 
> There may be an epilogue. Problem is, the epilogue has the potential to open to new things, so I’m uncertain if it should just be a stand alone rather than involved with this.
> 
> I’m leaning towards “stand alone” mostly because I want this thing done ON TIME and adding to it is NOT GOING TO HELP. Not like I haven’t done that about twice now. Halp me.
> 
> I’m also like “I wanna watch the S5” which may shape how any potential future stuff that could be linked to this plot looks. Sooo. I don’t know.
> 
> How about some of you fine folks tell me what you think? :)

“The evacuation is complete!” Castaspella called over to Adora as she shot spell after spell hitting robot after robot as she reconvened with the Princesses. She ran through the door of their temporary shelter just in time for it to close behind her. They were locked down tight in the castle, but even she wondered how much the walls would hold if this continued. “Everyone who isn’t a fighter, can’t fight or doesn’t want to has left the city. We probably should look to do the same soon.”

“Do you think we can lower Mystacor to the ground safely first?” Adora’s voice was barely more than a croak, and she could see Castaspella’s eyes dart to the dark purple bruises on her throat, the sling on her arm.

“That might be more of a Shadow Weaver question right now.” Castaspella brushed off then added, “I can’t believe I’m saying that. Geeze, if Angella could hear me now, she’d be screaming.”

“Shadow Weaver’s still keeping us floating.” Adora rolled the shoulder of her slinger arm and winced. “As much as I don’t like her, I’m thankful. Don’t beat yourself up for feeling that way too.”

“I get it. It’s certainly better than the alternative.” Castaspella crossed her arms. “And she practically shooed me away from helping so I don’t mind that she’s doing it by herself all that much.” Her lips twitched. “Said I was much better at offensive spells than anything else unlike my brother.” She rolled her eyes. “How’s your little friend?”

“I didn’t want to, but we have her restrained.”  
“Where?”  
“In Mara’s ship.” Adora grunted. Castaspella frowned.

“Is that wise?”  
“She didn’t mean it!”  
“Well I could have told you that.”

Adora looked at her flatly and pointed. “Explain!”

“Magic is just the manipulation of Aura, everyone knows that.” She began flippantly. When she caught Adora glaring she quickly got to the point, “Hers seems to have been corroded by... something.” Castaspella frowned, “In fact it’s a lot like Shadow Weaver’s. The spell of Obtainment, whatever she used to alter it made it living.”

“That corrosion is Horde Prime.” Adora informed her. “I heard him. Talking to me. Through Catra.”

“Which is why taking her with you might be a problem.” Castaspella sighed, exasperated. “All of the time you were here before, we didn’t have a single attack.”

“Are you serious?” Adora gaped. “You think Shadow Weaver’s right?”

“I think we can’t rule out that she might have a point.” Castaspella stressed then paused, looking to the air, “Oh Angella. Forgive me.” Castaspella turned back to Adora and she frowned. “Catra should stay here. We can hide her with the citizens.”

“No!” Adora gestured sharply with her uninjured arm. “If we do that, he’ll attack innocent, defenceless people!” It might bring more risk to us but the safest place she can be is with the Rebellion!”

“What you’re suggesting might mean us losing.” Castaspella warned. “For good.”

“Aunt Casta,” Adora and Castaspella turned to find Glimmer standing nearby, her eyes dark, worried, “if it wasn’t for Catra, we wouldn’t have a chance to win. Period.”

Castaspella wavered. “True, but we’d be squandering that opportunity if...”  
“If it wasn’t for Catra,” Glimmer continued Castaspella’s thought. “I wouldn’t be here.”

“Point made,” Castaspella acknowledged, “you just had to play that card, didn’t you Glimmer?” She sighed. “Can’t you just, I don’t know, leave her somewhere else?”

“Not gonna happen.” Adora dismissed. “If we leave her behind, he will end up using her as leverage.”

“Besides, she’d want to see this through.” Glimmer added. “So. We’re stuck.”

“Not completely.” Micah’s voice echoed from further up the hall. He held a book and closed it before turning to Glimmer. “Shadow Weaver found a spell. I’ve been looking over it for the last few days. I can’t guarantee it’ll work and make her better, but at the very least it should interfere with Horde Prime’s…” Micah frowned, “whatever he did to her. My only concern is…” he looked at all of the women in the room, “well, it’s not going to be fun.”

“Great! So maybe we can do that?” Glimmer posed. “With a spell that doesn’t hurt?”  
“If Catra agrees.” Adora added.

Adora was fooling herself if she thought Catra wouldn’t agree. In fact, in hindsight, she was kidding herself if she thought Catra would so much as put up a fight. Instead, she was quiet, solemn, never quite meeting Adora’s eyes as she explained the situation.

“Then he’ll be gone, right? Like really gone?” Catra asked.  
“Well, we still have to fight him.”  
“From my head.” Catra spoke through her clenched teeth. “That’s what I mean.”  
“Right. Yeah.” Adora turned to Micah in askance. He coughed.

“Well...we’ve never done something like this before.”

Catra’s green eyes widened. Then her face went blank. “Great. So I’m just someone’s experiment all over again.”

“We don’t — we,” Adora was practically tripping over herself, anxiety was clear in every inch of her body. Catra frowned. “We really don’t have to do it if you’re not comfortable!” Adora waved off with her good arm. 

“What did she tell you?” Catra hissed.  
“I don’t know ~”  
“Don’t play dumb with me! What did Glimmer tell you?”

“She didn’t tell me anything!” Adora snapped. “I kept asking, but she wouldn’t, okay? She kept saying you’ll tell us if you want to but you still haven’t said anything!” Adora threw both arms up in the air in exasperation. “Then Shadow Weaver told us how you were having nightmares and screaming in your sleep, and I insisted you weren’t in the cells anymore. Look, I don’t know what happened. If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine, but I do know whatever it was, it was bad, okay, and I’m worried!”

“Shadow Weaver mentioned that to you?””  
“Yeah.”  
“I wonder what her angle is this time.”  
“We’re all kind of…” Adora winced, “done with her to be honest.”

Adora’s face was red. First from her frustration. Then from being flustered. Then pain when she realized how much she moved her injured arm. Catra just looked at Adora sling before her ears flattened against her head. She awkwardly shuffled off the bunk she was on, then pushed herself up with her tied arms.

“Where are we doing this? Let’s just get it over with.”

By the Lunarium. The same place where Shadow Weaver was holding up Mystacor. Of course they would. It made sense, and when she turned to Micah, he gave her the answer she was already half expecting.

“We’re protecting this location anyways.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “We figured it was better not to spread ourselves too thin. Are you going to be okay?”

“Just do it.” 

“Make yourself comfortable.”

She found a spot where she was behind Shadow Weaver, able to see the wall of magenta magic that stretched between her hands, see how intensely focused she was. She was surprised Shadow Weaver didn’t begin sniping at her.

“Must be so good to be right, isn’t it Shadow Weaver?” She didn’t know why she decided to bait her first. Maybe it was guilt. Maybe she was still looking to be punished. There was a long pause before an answer came.

“I’m holding an entire city in my hands right now, Catra.” Her voice was dark, but tinged with exhaustion. “A city I might add that we’re still in. So pardon me for not being much of a conversationalist.”

Catra wasn’t sure what to say in return, so she sat cross legged and looked up to Micah. He nodded at her and a spell circle surrounded her. At first, it felt like pin pricks. She tried to ignore it, stiffened up, and forced the pain from her mind.

“You need to breathe.” Shadow Weaver’s voice was strangely soft. “Holding your breath won’t make it easier.”

“I didn’t~” there it came, pressure and fire. She felt crushed and on fire and gasped, and looked to Micah who seemed calm.

“Follow me.” He inhaled, then exhaled, and guided Catra to finding his rhythm, and soon, though the pain came, it didn’t seem like it was blinding.

Until a familiar ringing in her head came back. She held her head and screamed. Micah flinched visibly. He reached out to touch her but she screamed even louder.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“You can’t do the spell as it is. It won’t work.” Shadow Weaver spoke up. “Whatever he did, it’s changed her for good. You can’t remove it and restore her to where she was before. It’s not going to work that way.”

“Then what do I do?”

“You can~” Shadow Weaver groaned with the strain of her own task, “no. She can alter it. She should alter it. You can guide her, but she has to be the one.”

“Okay. Okay.” Micah moved in close to her. “Catra?”  
“What!?”

Micah whipped his head to Shadow Weaver, then back to her. “First out stretch your hands.” He watched her strain to do so. “Move them in opposite directions to draw the same circle. Okay. Now draw a diamond. A star. Another diamond and…”

She was there. In the blinding light. On that cold table. All of the faces she could see looked like Hordak, and they held her down until her hands and feet were bound to the table. She felt the needles. The sharp slice of the blade and screamed and screamed and…

She dreamed. 

She dreamed of sharp fangs and claws. Of sprinting towards Shadow Weaver. Of hearing her make the strangest sound, like a cry. Of Shadow Weaver’s hand running over the top of her head.

“It’s okay.” The Sorcerer’s voice was shaking, so unusual for her, “You’re changed, but it’s okay. Things won’t ever be the same. You won’t ever be the same, but it’s okay. It’s going to be okay. Because you are strong and you will be even stronger.”

When she woke up, she found Micah standing over her. There was no more ringing in her head, but he looked panicked, glancing between her and Shadow Weaver.

“Has she...awakened?”

“She has.” Micah looked to her, and Catra followed, noticing she now only used one hand to maintain the spell. The other held her side, stained dark. “If you’d like I~”

“No.” The Sorcerer whispered back. “Go back to the others. The fighting, can I hear it’s gotten worse.”

“Are you going to stay here?” Micah was helping Catra stand now, and she wobbled.

“For as long as I can, yes.”

“Guys!” Glimmer popped in just as what felt like an earthquake rocked the entire city. She looked alarmed as she reached for them. “More ships. We need to go. Now.”

Micah supported Catra, who stared at the strangely subdued Shadow Weaver. Micah reached out for Glimmer. Then Glimmer reached out for Shadow Weaver. The sorcerer looked at the hand, and then looked back to her task.

“We don’t have time for this!”

“The more time I spent here. In Mystacor. With Micah. With Glimmer. The more I realized.” Shadow Weaver turned to look at Catra. “A long time ago, something happened. Something that changed me. I let it fester, let it control me. I never saw past it...” she sighed, then laughed, bright, cheery. There wasn’t a shred of duplicity in it, just mirth, and something about that made the sound both fascinating and utterly eerie. “There is no life for someone who has already died.”

Catra’s mind flashed to claws. Ripping into flesh. Feeling warmth. Feeling blood.

Shadow Weaver moved her hand from the wound. Beneath the blood deep claw wounds could be spotted. She reached for her mask and tossed it aside, but didn’t face them. Her hand then moved to hold up the spell. She shook with the effort, almost whimpered with it, but stayed firm.

“Shadow Weaver, what are you doing? We need to go!” Glimmer was screaming. Micah put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. Catra caught on and stared, mouth agape.

“What! You’re going to stay here and die like you’re some damn hero?” She screamed at her. “Am I supposed to forgive you for everything you did to me because you decided to do one tiny good thing for once in your life?”

“No.” Shadow Weaver was hushed, but her voice seemed to carry easier without the mask, “The only thing I will ask,” she gasped, “is that you don’t follow my example.”

“Screw you!” Catra shrieked. “You were a terrible mother!” Shadow Weaver dipped her head slightly, but said nothing, and Catra fumed, ready to go right up to her until Glimmer caught her by the wrist and shook her head.

“Micah.” The Sorcerer called his name ever so gently, but it wavered with her pain. She shuddered, but she forced herself still. “You asked me before if I was willing to volunteer myself.” They all found themselves glowing with magenta energy. Shadow Weaver looked at them, her face deeply scarred, but her mouth pulled into the smallest of smiles, her eyes full of relief. “Consider this my answer.” 

“Wait~”

They were thrown out of the room by her magic. The doors slammed shut behind them. All they could hear now was an echo of her voice.

“Perhaps your sister will never forgive me Micah,” Shadow Weaver spoke wryly, “but it seems there’s a spire for the Horde nearby. I’m taking it out. Now go.”

Glimmer shook her head, then grabbed her father’s hand, then Catra’s. She gave them a squeeze and the world spun around them.

They were on the ship now, and Glimmer fell to her knees, sniffling. Adora rushed over to them and Catra stood there too shocked to process it all.

“Where’s...Shadow Weaver?” Adora whispered. 

Catra shook her head. She could hear someone — probably Castaspella, gasp. Micah merely stared at the monitor while they watched Mystacor shift and lurch and then hurtle itself towards the Horde tower.

“Maybe….” He whispered, “part of you still really was the Light Spinner I knew.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to give the chapter title quote to the awful lady of Shadows as part of her grand exit and the wrap up of this B plot (mostly. There’s some loose threads in Chapter 10). That means we’re heading into some endgame territory.
> 
> Shadow Weaver is currently two things: right and dead. I guess that makes her DEAD RIGHT! Amiright? Eh? Eh?  
> Anyone? 
> 
> Too soon? I mean, I would say it’s in bad taste, but Shadow Weaver herself IS a bad taste soo...
> 
> Okay. Yeah. I’ll see myself out.
> 
> Till tonight!


	10. “It’s okay to mourn someone who was terrible to you.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scorpia and Catra find some understanding.  
> Double Trouble is successful. Too bad success isn’t always great.  
> Entrapta needs a new lab partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m baaack!
> 
> Chapter count got bumped for two reasons:  
> 1) 11 had to be split for pacing/sensible reasons.  
> 2) This allows me to give you the second last part late this evening and then the last part before bed so this fic can be CANNON COMPLIANT up to S4 and totally posted before S5 launches in EST, because apparently I hate myself and sleep. XD
> 
> Epilogue is turning into too much work to get done before it drops so probably a future fic. We shall how I feel about it all. Encouragement and sharing with others is always appreciated over here. :)
> 
> Have fun!

“Catra?”

Scorpia’s voice — for once — was pleadingly soft. Catra frowned at the campfire as Scorpia strode over. The former second in command wiped at her eyes and the bags underneath them and sighed as Scorpia stopped.

“Can’t sleep?”  
“Hmm.”  
“Is it because of…” Scorpia sounded like she didn’t want to say it, “Shadow Weaver?”  
“Sort of.”

“Well,” Scorpia seemed to dwell on her words carefully before she continued, “for what it’s worth, I don’t think she was a hero just because she saved us.”

“She helped us.” Catra pointed out.

“Yeah, sure, when the actual fighting was happening.” Scorpia lifted a claw, “but when we weren’t fighting off clones or bots, she had us fighting each other. It was terrible.”

“No love lost, huh?” Catra scoffed.

Scorpia stood beside her. She was still for a very long moment. She then raised a claw as if she was about to touch Catra and then thought better of it, her arm returning to her side.

“When…” Scorpia steeled herself, “my grandad gave the Horde the Fright Zone, my Mom — his daughter — never forgave him.”

“Scorpia?” Catra looked at her in complete befuddlement. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Momma — her wife, she watched Mom go through a lot of terrible things. The loss of her home. Her Dad being a real jerk to her trying to get her to do what he wanted, always yelling at her, just, really being cruel to her, you know?” Scorpia looked to Catra knowingly, and Catra’s eyes widened with realization. “So Mom got away from him, and she and Momma thought they were free of the whole mess and could live their lives and they had a little girl.” Scorpia sighed. “But grandad found them.”

“He took you away.” Catra pieced together wide eyed. “And he gave you to the Horde. Like you were some sort of trophy.”

“I only really know my Moms through the pictures and the letters they sent me. Mom usually wrote most of them because she was the better writer, but Momma would tell her all sorts of things to put in. Those letters would tell me all sorts of things about her and Momma. Grandad never told me much of anything about them and then I hardly saw him when I was old enough to start training.”

“That...sucks.” Catra let out a stream of air.

“Well, it wasn’t so bad.” Scorpia meditated on it, then looked to Catra who stared back curiously. “Right. So my point. Grandad died. Mom was pretty broken up about it. I didn’t know what to feel and Momma, for the first time, wrote the letter. Alone. She said…” Scorpia looked directly at Catra, “she said it’s okay to mourn someone who was terrible to you.” Catra quickly looked away and folded her arms around herself and Scorpia proceeded to speak even softer. “That...you aren’t in grief about who they were to you, but who you wish they could have been and weren’t and now will never be.”

“I…” Catra stood up abruptly, “I need to go for a walk.” She began sprinting away.

“Can I come with you?” Scorpia called after her.  
“No!”

“But it’s dangerous, Wildcat! We already had to change camp four times in the last week because Horde Prime found us!”

“Don’t remind me!” Catra growled, and ran even faster.

Catra ran, and ran until her lungs burned. Until she wasn’t exactly sure where she was other than further into the whispering woods where they made their most recent camp to evade the Horde Bot Patrol. Doubling over, she gasped for air before finding a lower branch and a perch up in a tree.

She leapt from branch to branch until she reached the perch and settled there, looking down at the ground below and simply sighing and gathering her wits.

“Me?” Catra barked another laugh as she covered one of her eyes, “Mourn that selfish, bitter, manipulative bitch?” The laughter trailed off to sobs. So sudden they wracked her body and left her gasping as much as her running did. 

“Why...wasn’t I ever good enough for you?” Catra shook her head, peering at the forest floor. “No.” She thought about it, about all of the lies. “It was you.” The put downs. The times Shadow Weaver hurt her. The countless times Catra asked why. Every answer was another lie. More smoke. More mirrors. Nothing of substance.

“You really were a terrible mother.” Catra hissed into the air of the forest. There was nothing, except a ringing in her ears. She covered them and tugged them down as she curled up into a ball. “Why couldn’t you be good enough for me?”

‘You are a bad friend.’

Catra stopped the sob that nearly escaped her, and stared blankly at the trees, quiet for the first time in a long time. Away from everyone. No Shadow Weaver in the cell across from hers. No Horde Prime looming over her, watching and judging. No Scorpia constantly checking if she was okay, or Glimmer letting her know she could talk to her about what happened. No Adora in her room with her exhausting guilt.

Just Catra.

“Who am I kidding?” Not herself. Not anymore. “Maybe I didn’t deserve it growing up, but what I chose to do after…”

‘Everything we choose to do decides who we are and are becoming.’

“Who was I becoming then?” Catra sniffled, and closed her eyes and saw that purple mask. Those white eyes. “Who am I becoming now?” Catra jolted.

A scream. Scorpia’s scream. Loud. Echoing. Sure to wake everybody up and send them into blind flurry. It was somewhere distinctly behind her.

Catra quickly grabbed a leaf, rubbed her face as dry as she could and leapt from tree to tree in the direction of Scorpia’s voice and the ensuing panic that was sure to be emerging from the rest of the team any moment now. She caught sight of the scorpion tail, curled and poised around Scorpia almost protectively. She was frightened. Catra had to be careful.

“Hey Scorpia!” She called out in warning before she was within striking distance of the tail. She bounded down from the tree and landed. “What is it, did you get scared of your own shadow in the woods again?” Scorpia stared at Catra, tears pooling at her eyes as she shifted the limp, almost lifeless form in her arms. Green skin caught Catra’s eyes first. Then the mangled Horde Uniform.

“Double Trouble?”

“Kitten?” Double Trouble gasped, then offered a smarmy smile. “Seems like,” they struggled to inhale, a wet cough interrupting their thought, “I’ve finally met my curtain call.” Catra’s eyes took inventory of the wounds and shuddered when she noticed a series of slashes in their body. The dark green that pooled there was in stark contrast to the Horde Uniform’s stark white making it easy to see that words were carved with each bladed stroke. Written savagely on skin.

‘Found you.’

“We have to find Adora.” Catra looked to Scorpia. “Pick them up and let’s go!”

“No.” Double Trouble chuckled. “This is just a hazard of the work.” They tried to sit up, but failed. Scorpia helped them, before carefully lifting them. Catra nodded to Scorpia and they began returning to camp, only pausing when Double Trouble grabbed Catra’s hand.

“I know lost causes. I kinda like you Kitten. Run. This won’t end well.”

“Just,” Catra shook her head, then grabbed the hand and squeezed it, “stay awake, will you?” A sound, one she had grown familiar with told her Glimmer was here. She spun around to find both her and Adora. Glimmer zeroed in on the gravity of the situation first and rushed to them, then turned to Adora.

“Maybe with She-Ra~”  
“Even with She-Ra, I don’t think I could.” Adora murmured softly.

“At least there’s tears for my death scene.” Double Trouble chuckled, “that’s more than I expected. I always worried it would be quiet and understated.”

“That’s not funny.” Catra whispered.

“I have one last thing to let you all know.” Double Trouble’s words grew shakier, and their eyes stayed more closed then open, but they breathed shallowly, laboured, “The Clones. He doesn’t just make them for vanity.” They paused, inhaling, then exhaling again, grunting with pain, “They’re donors. Organs. Eyes. Limbs even. You name it. If he needs it, he takes it from one of them.” Double Trouble smiled. “That’s all...I got.”

Double Trouble exhaled. The rhythm to their breathing ended.

Catra looked to Adora and Glimmer who both looked at Double Trouble’s suddenly still form with a mix of horror, pain and sorrow. Adora grabbed Glimmer’s hand and squeezed it in between both of hers. Catra looked away from the display of affection and mulled Double Trouble’s words over and over again in her head. Until it hit her.

“He’s just like Hordak.” Catra whispered, the realization dawning on her. “Hordak wasn’t a defect. Not in the sense that his cloning was wrong. Hordak is just like him.”

“Wait Catra,” Adora looked at him, “what do you mean?”

“I know you think it’s hopeless, but this might be just what we needed.” Catra held Double Trouble’s hand and squeezed it. “Thank you.” She pulled away and began sprinting back to camp. “I have to talk to Entrapta! There might be something else we can do to help us win!”

“Catra,” Adora called after her, “maybe talking to Entrapta…”

“Isn’t the best idea.” Catra smacked her forehead as she stood feet away from the Princess of Dryll. Who not so subtly made it clear she wasn’t wanted here: she had put her mask on and turned herself away. Not sure what to do, Catra just waited.

One of the Princess’ pigtails pulled up the mask. “I’m working.”  
“I know.”  
“I need to focus.”  
Catra looked away from her, feeling awkward. “I know.”  
“Did you…” Entrapta’s red eyes glanced over, “come to shock me again?”  
“You don’t mince words, do you?” Catra winced.  
“Is that a yes, or a no?” Entrapta put her tools down. “I’m collecting the data on this.”  
“It’s a no.” Catra confirmed. “I shouldn’t have done it the first time.”

“Hmm. But you did. Which says that currently the probability of you repeating the action is quite…” a pause as she turned to Emily, and the robot beeped. “high.”

Catra winced again. “Look. What I did was wrong. I shouldn’t have shocked you. Or lied about you betraying us to Hordak. Or have you sent to Beast Island.”

There was a long pause where Entrapta brought up her tablet with her other pigtail and began typing into it furiously. Catra watched both awed and worried.

“Hmm. Causes physical harm. Lies about me to my other friends.” Catra winced again as Entrapta continued. “Has me sent to Beast Island. Hmm.”

“What is it?”

“The data says you’re a bad friend.” Entrapta pulled the mask down and turned away from her again. Catra smacked her forehead.

“Okay. I’m a bad friend.” She admitted. “Probably the worst friend. But right now, Entrapta, I’m not asking to be your friend.”

“Then what are you asking for?” Entrapta countered. Catra froze, “well, you are asking me for something. The data also says you never approach me unless you want something.”

Catra’s arms fell to her side, stiff. “Look. I’m sorry. For everything.”  
Entrapta looked at her. “What is ‘everything’?”

“For shocking you, for lying to Hordak that you betrayed him and the Horde to help the Princesses, for sending you to Beast Island. I knew it was wrong, but I did it anyways! I got scared that you were replacing me in the Horde and I panicked and I hurt you and I was wrong, okay, and I’m sorry.”

Entrapta pulled her mask down and turned away from her. The Princess’ pigtails picked up tools and she went back to tinkering on yet another salvaged Horde Bot that she had converted. Catra stood there for a long awkward moment before turning to leave.

“I’ll just...see myself out.”

“I have acknowledged that you have made an apology.” Entrapta spoke softly.  
Catra froze, then spun around. “Thank you.”  
“We’re not friends though.”  
“That’s,” Catra smiled and shook her head, “that’s fine.”  
“But we are both in this rebellion thing together, so I suppose we could...talk.”

“I’d like that. Let’s talk about us soon, but…”  
“You have new data! Do share!”

Catra looked to the ground for a moment and weighed what she knew carefully.

“Double Trouble got information for us.” She cleared her throat, “um, you might want to sit down.” She watched Entrapta make a seat from her hair and nodded. “Horde Prime has an illness. Like….you know.”

“Hordak.” Entrapta started off in the distance for a while and Catra gave her a moment before speaking up again.

“I think you should know something, because if I were you I’d hate to get surprised by this.” Catra took a breath, “he’s alive. He’s not Hordak anymore though. Horde Prime did something to him. It wiped his memories, his consciousness it~”

“He reprogrammed him.” Entrapta finished.  
“How did you know?”

“Hordak mentioned it to me.” Entrapta pulled the mask down, “and judging by the changes Horde Prime was making to your body, he would have done it to you, too.”

Catra shuddered, and grabbed her left arm with her right, holding it close to her body.

“But, that does give us options.” Entrapta whirled around on her seat and began to tinker. “If he really is just like Hordak, then he relies on all of the technology around him to keep him living. Hmm, but he’s taking organic parts to help himself.”

“It’s what I was thinking. What if we can’t physically beat him? What do we do then?”

“Hordak was having trouble with his suit. It was the level  
of technology he had here on Etheria. Even with it, he was very ill and very weak.”  
“So...if Prime had even less than Hordak~”

“Brilliant!” Entrapta was now searching through bins for various bolts and pieces. “We could make a kill switch that destroys all of his technology.” She paused, screwdriver in hand, “problem is, if we did that, we would also destroy all of our tech too but at least he would have nothing!”

“Unless he managed to escape to a different planet.” Catra voiced.

“Hmmm, possible. If he floated over, that could be a problem.” Entrapta hummed in thought, then grinned. “Unless he was somewhere that he couldn’t find such things.”

“Somewhere like what?”

“Like a tiny space where no one could reach him and he couldn’t get out.”

Catra had to chuckle on her as it dawned. “Like Despondos?”  
“Exactly!”

“A portal is what started this.” Catra couldn’t believe the irony, “Think you could figure out one small enough to carry?”

“It would be a challenge, but, if I had a new lab partner…” she finally looked to Catra. In return, Catra gave her a small smile.

“I’d love to. Just one thing?”  
“What?”  
“There’s something I need to take care of first.”

Catra was drenched in sweat. She shifted the tool carefully before letting it hit the earth and dug in. She had been at this so long that she knew she had a small audience now, but she paid them little mind, only shooing them away when they asked if they could help. She felt Glimmer’s eyes on her the most, burning, worried, but she kept at it until she could barely stand.

Scorpia seemed to sense this, and gently brought Double Trouble to her, swaddled in blankets as if fending off the cold and deep in sleep. They were gently laid down and Scorpia kept watch as Catra went to the quiet, exhausting work of covering over the hole again long into the night.

Glimmer had said something then, the words mostly lost. Catra wanted to say something, but the words eluded her. She would stand, then sit, then stand again only to find herself without anything. Grief was a heavy weight, and she was already being crushed by it before Double Trouble’s fate became known to them. They sat with them all around the campfire, far too still, far too quiet, just staring at flames until Adora stood up.

“They were one of our own. Etherian. Like us. In Horde Prime’s eyes, disposable. Just what he thinks we are.” Adora was shaking, but she was glaring at the fire. “And the thing is, the longer we hide away, the more there will be. Double Trouble was today. We lost Shadow Weaver too. Mystacor is gone. Who else and what else are we willing to lose? It’s time we took the fight back to Horde Prime. It stops here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I struggled SO freaking hard with which character gets the quote for this chapter. There are some good ones here, but I stuck with Scorpia for one thing and one thing only: it’s just one of those things I wished someone told my younger self.
> 
> Anyways, you’ll here from me later.


	11. “I want all of Etheria to watch as I crush you and your rebellion.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horde Prime throws down the gauntlet  
> All bets are off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the first part of our finale here. Do enjoy!

The early light of dawn came violently.

Explosions. Screaming in the far flung distance. Catra saw the smallest of them — Frosta — run into even the lab, breathless and flushed red. Panicked.

“Entrapta! Catra!” 

Catra just knew what the words were going to be long before Frosta began saying them. She looked to Entrapta and began grabbing everything she could. She threw it into the pack she had on her back in her arms, and looked to Frosta.

“We have to go! The Horde Is attacking!”

The hair on her neck stood up. She skidded to a halt as they ran to a ship just to see a projection over them. Larger than life. Looming with that charmingly terrifying smile.

“Consider this an an invitation for a once in a life time even,” the hologram of Horde Prime held his arms out wide, “to my dearest nemesis. You are not the first rebellion I have stamped out. I will say, however, that you have been one of the most clever.”

Catra weaved through the others to get to Adora who stared at the huge looming form of Horde Prime, and placed a hand on her shoulder. Adora stared at him, her jaw set tight and rigid.

“I think such cleverness ought to be rewarded.” He smirked, sharp toothed and vicious wrapped in coy, affable charm. “I’ll give you a grand finale. One last chance to come at me with everything you have before I take what is rightfully mine.” He gestured up, towards the sky and they could see hundreds of lights just beyond the clouds, blocking out sun and stars alike. He smiled. “I want all of Etheria to watch as I crush you and your rebellion. I await your arrival.”

“Everyone on the ship,” Adora’s voice was shaking with rage, “now!”

“But we haven’t finished our plan,” Bow protested, “can’t we~”

“We don’t. Have. Time.” Adora punctuated, then sighed, shaking her head. She just about stormed off, but Glimmer had grabbed her hand and held it, and something about Adora seemed softer. Gentler. She managed a smile before she headed to the ship. Catra hesitated and was rewarded when Glimmer looked at her.

“Hey Queenie.” She murmured the name so softly only Glimmer could hear. The young Queen flushed but then grabbed her hand and held it.

“I lost my Dad. But he’s back. I still haven’t processed it.” She admitted.

“We’re in a war. It’s hard to process anything.” Catra reassured.  
Glimmer nodded once. Then twice. “I lost my Mom. That felt like losing a part of myself.”

“I’m sorry about that. I should have never,” her eyes widened when Glimmer put a hand up to her face, palm face up, demanding she stopped.

“I know. What I’m trying to say is. I don’t want to lose anyone else. That includes you.”

Glimmer let go then and turned around to Grab Bow, and Castaspella before teleporting into the ship again.

Adora drove like a maniac.

Catra knew this already. From their younger days of steeling skids to go exploring. Adora behind the controls of some sort of vehicle had two modes of driving: thrill seeking, where she wanted to show off, and angry, where she just wanted to get there as fast as possible. Everyone seemed just as determined, but the recklessness as they sped higher and higher into the sky had them all clinging to whatever they could just to keep standing. There was a moment though as they broke through the stratosphere, past clouds and all they could see was the blue of the sky below them and the black of space and the Horde Armada.

“Is everyone ready?” Adora called. She looked around to find the others with all of their gear loaded up. “Alright, so, Sea Hawk, you and...”

“I call our new assistant Emily’s Big Sister!” Entrapta informed. “Or EBS for short.”

“Sea Hawk, you have the ship with EBS, and you’re going to stay in quadrant D. Try not to get in the middle of the worst of the fighting but take out anything that gets near you. Entrapta’s drones will take care of anything that starts heading your way but you need to take out whatever they miss.”

“Got it!”

“So, we broke everything up into zones, more or less, and everyone’s in groups. As you know, Castaspella, Huntara and Swift Wind are handling everything on the ground for us. They’ve recruited everyone who can and wants to fight and they’ve been organizing and managing that. Meaning we need to do our part.” Adora looked to the first group. “Netossa and Spinnerella?”

“We’re ready.” Spinnerella declared. Netossa nodded.

“You’re going to use the shuttle and go to quadrant C over here.” Adora raised her hand and a hologram of the battle field appeared and their sector glowed and flashed red. “Be safe out there.”

“I’ve got her back. She’s got mine.” Netossa looped an arm around Spinnerella’s neck, “we’re gonna come back with the highest count, so the rest you all better come back too!”

Adora’s expression — which she kept stony and serious up until now — broke into a small smile. “Okay...Perfuma and Mermista.”

“Present!”  
“You’ve got quadrant B.”

Mermista groaned. “Why is there no quadrant M?”

Adora smacked her forehead. “Because Quadrant means four and there are literally four zones we’re talking about and — why are we arguing about this?”

“I don’t know. You started it.”  
“Never mind.” Came the exasperated response. “Micah and Frosta? You’re taking Quadrant A with Scorpia.”

“With Micah and Frosta?” Scorpia echoed, seemingly disappointed.

“You’re in the quadrant closest to the mothership so having a little extra manpower might be helpful.” Adora explained.

“Micah and I can handle ourselves just the same as Netossa and Spinerella!” Frosta protested.

“Guys, we talked about this.” Adora groaned, “we don’t have time to rehash it, and we already had to change it since Double Trouble and Shadow Weaver are…”

“Wait, Adora!” Catra cut across, her eyes darting over to Scorpia. “I think Scorpia should come with us on the Mothership.” Adora held her gaze and she continued. “Entrapta is going to be setting up that bomb thingy, right? So she’s going to be busy with set up, and I’m guarding her. Someone needs to help me.”

“Oh Wildcat!” Scorpia gushed. “I always knew you needed me!”

Adora sighed. “Micah?”  
“That works for me.”  
Another stressed sigh came from Adora. “Fine.”

Adora cleared her throat and continued.

“On the mothership, we have Entrapta, who will be using the weapon. Catra and Scorpia~” Scorpia cheered loudly, “who will be covering Entrapta. Then me, Bow and Glimmer and we’ll be taking on Horde Prime. Everyone set?”

There were firm nods around the room.

“Then let’s save Etheria!”

“For Etheria!” They all called out together.

The crash of yet another bot that was behind her being whipped around and into the wall caught Catra’s ears as she ducked below a beam, and cut clear through the head of the robot in front of her. Eyes forward she nodded to Scorpia and then launched after another Horde Bot, ripping it apart.

“I could do this all day!” Scorpia called from another downed bot.  
“Good! Cause we’re probably going to be!” 

“We’re set!” Entrapta called from behind them. 

“Great,” Catra whirled around and kicked another robot in the head, “let’s go. I’ve got point! Got our back Scorpia?”

“Sure do!” Catra bounded ahead, hearing footsteps behind her, but shook her head when she heard the inevitable “wait, where are we going again?”

“We have one last place to take out!” The place that often haunted her dreams now. Catra pushed that thought from her mind as she turned down another corridor.

“Where’s that again?”

“The Lab, silly, if Horde Prime can continue to heal himself, we’re going to be in a load of troub~” Catra felt Entrapta almost barrel her over, and quickly reached out to steady the princess. She hissed at the sight before them.

“Clones.” Catra rushed towards them. She immediately went to dodging the first that lunged at her and slamming him head first into the wall. The other one she spun and kicked into the head and watched him trip over his brother before falling.

“They look just like—”

“They aren’t. Let’s go. Adora and the others are going to need back up as soon as possible, soo...” She walked back to the lab and paused at the console. Then she looked to Entrapta. A look of intense focus drew on her face and she began tinkering away as Scorpia cleared out one last clone and joined them.

“A moment to breathe.” Scorpia panted. “Awesome.”  
“I thought you said you could do this all day?” Catra smirked.

“With breaks.” Scorpia protested. “And maybe some food, and some music and snacks. Ooh, we would have really tiny snacks for Entrapta too!”

“We’re in.” Entrapta declared. Catra released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding and gingerly went through the doorway. 

Catra saw the lab table first, and couldn’t move her feet any further. She imagined those bright lights dancing over her. Dozens of green eyes gazing at her from the same face, lifelessly, holding her down, hurting her. Her breaths came in short panting gasps then, the sweat that beaded on her forehead cold.

“Hey, Catra?”

Catra tried to say something. Her mouth even opened, but no words came. Scorpia looked from her to Entrapta before she frowned, picked up what looked like some sort of pole, and began swinging it around like a baseball bat.

The first crash of metal and glass made Catra physically startle. The second one, she blinked and she looked at the damage being wrought. The third had her vision growing hazy. The fourth, she could feel a warm wetness trailing down her cheeks.

“You don’t have to come in here, I’ve got it,” Scorpia told her between breathless swings, looking at her, “you don’t have to see this place ever again!”

Catra was shaking now as she watched Scorpia discard the now severely bent pole before finding something else she could use to bust up her surroundings. Her dark eyes darted around. The table. She strained as she began to heave the large, heavy solid metal around and continued to destroy every corner of Horde Prime’s lab.

Catra’s tears flowed more freely, and unexpectedly she found something reaching for her hand. She expected another hand but found hair instead. Entrapta stood there in the silent vigil, watching as Scorpia continued to destroy the lab.

Eventually, Scorpia ran herself ragged. She dropped the bent and twisted metal as Catra slowly knitted herself together, wiping away tears and quelling her trembling. Scorpia came up to her, gently.

“Would you like a hug?”  
Catra chuckled. “No thanks.”

“How about…” Scorpia thought her options through carefully, “I hold your hand then...if that’s okay?”

Catra offered it, and Scorpia, flushed pink from her exertion grinned as she gently took Catra’s hand between her claws.

“You’re gonna be okay Wildcat.”

Catra scoffed, but it was more self deprecating than bitter. “I haven’t even apologized to you for how I treated you yet, but you’re being so kind to me.”

“I didn’t exactly say I forgave you for all of that.” Scorpia countered.

“Huh.” Catra’s green eyes widened in realization. “Guess not.” Catra looked down at her hand then back to Scorpia. “Then why?”

“Because I care about you.” Scorpia answered simply, earnestly.

Catra smiled, and looked away from Scorpia. “Thank you. I care about you too, Scorpia.” She paused, “and Entrapta. I’m so sorry I’ve been awful to you both.”

“Yeah well,” Scorpia grinned as she pulled her claws away, “let’s keep talking to each other then. Okay? If we both care about each other, and you’re really sorry and want us to still be friends, talking sounds like a good place to start.”

“I too wouldn’t mind an extra set of hands in the lab.” Entrapta added.

Catra chuckled. “Thanks guys.” She found her breaths coming in more calmly as she wiped away her tears and stared at the destroyed lab.

“Catra, Scorpia,” Entrapta had her datapad in hand and was frowning, “as much as I’d hate to break the wonderful moment, we got a problem.”

Catra frowned. “I thought it got too quiet around here.”

“My bots tell me Bow’s down. Glimmer’s not faring too well…”  
“Adora?”  
“Still fighting, but injured.”

“We need to go, now.” Catra sprinted off first, ignoring Scorpia calling after. Her heart thudded in her chest as she moved as fast as her limbs could. Too fast to fully comprehend the blinding green light hurtling towards her before it was almost too late. She leapt from one wall, to the next, then landed right beside the scorch mark that should have been her. She looked up and spotted another clone.

No.

“It’s him.” Catra murmured to herself, looking at the pale strands of hair on his head that came in dark at the roots again. Hordak stared at her with his emotionless green eyes. Catra saw the cannon on his arm charged up and leapt forward just as it was firing, smashing his arm and knocking the beam into the floor.

“Hordak?” Catra cursed. Entrapta was too smart for her own good sometimes and this was certainly one of those times. “Hordak, is that really you?” She sprinted between Catra and Hordak and Catra sent a panicked glance Scorpia’s way.

“I’ve got this one, Entrapta.” Catra reassured, a hand on the Princess’ shoulder as she edged out to the side, ready to react to Hordak in a moment’s notice. “You should go with Scorpia.”

“We can’t!”  
“The others need help!”

“And he does too!” Entrapta argued, her face screwing up. They both looked to Hordak. He was frozen still, emotionless, the cannon pointed, but he wasn’t charging it. “See, he’s still there! If he wasn’t, he would have blasted us already, right?”

“Entrapta,” Catra’s eyes widened when Hordak suddenly began moving towards them. She shoved Entrapta backwards, throwing a kick at Hordak, who caught her leg, and whirled her into the floor. She flipped back to her feet and charged at him with his claws, catching him on the chest. He bared his fangs, growling at the pain before elbowing Catra in the face, stunning her long enough to fall on her back.

“Hordak!” Entrapta rushed to him, “Stop it! Don’t you remember me?”

Green eyes stared blankly. He began marching towards her.

Entrapta stayed rooted in place. “We’re friends aren’t we?”  
There was no response. Hordak drew ever closer. Catra quietly inched in on the delicate scene while Entrapta stepped forward.

“Well…” Entrapta‘s hair drew about her, gesturing as her hands fiddled nervously together, “I’m still your friend, Hordak, an-and I want to help you!”

Hordak paused mid stride. “Help...me?” Green eyes flashed red.

Entrapta’s entire face lit up.“Yes. We’re going to help. It’s me, Entrapta.”

“En…” he sounded the words out like a toddler would, testing each syllable in his mouth as he went along, “trap...ta.” His eyes stayed red now.

Catra looked to Scorpia who was just paces behind him now. Entrapta seemed oblivious to both of them as she reached out towards Hordak.

“Entrap...ta.” Then his eyes went green, his face slack. His hand raised. “Horde Prime designates ‘Entrapta’ as threat level three. Eliminating now.”

“No!” Entrapta tried to grab him but he stepped back, “no, no! What did I do wrong? What did~” she gasped as the cannon was raised to her head, but simply stared down the glowing barrel. Too stunned and frightened to even move.

Catra put herself in between them as the cannon went off. She slumped in Entrapta’s arms and hair before grunting and pushing herself onto shaky feet.

“I’m — gah —” She closed one eye as she braced herself on the wall, “I’m fine. Scorpia! Take Entrapta and run!” Scorpia looked at her, concerned, “now!”

Scorpia nodded and took off. Catra smirked as she curled her hands into fists.

“Long time no see Hordak.” She gave a breathless chuckle. “Guess we’re finally having our round two.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Frantically finishing the second part. Wish me so much luck right now. We’re close guys. So close.


	12. “Me though? I’ve got the rest of my life and plenty of things to do.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final showdown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m going to @#$%^& sleep now.
> 
> Good night.  
> Enjoy She-ra while I’m pretending to be a responsible adult.

Hiding behind a mostly destroyed wall was not a great strategy. 

Catra edged out from her bit of cover to see Hordak’s lifeless green eyes scan once’s, then twice, then pause. Then she knew. She stumbled forwards and dove into a role just as she heard his blaster go off. Near the wall, she popped back to her feet, kicked off from the left, then the right, and slashed at his face this time.

She got him right in the eye and he roared with rage.

It was so unlike the other clones and despite herself, it made her smile. Underneath that roar of fury was definitely Hordak. Enraged, he became frantic with his blasts, hitting anything that had a shadow that seemed remotely like her, which, given his damaged vision, was everywhere. Like this, he was dangerous but easy to dodge.

Until his features suddenly went slack, and he began firing just inches away from her again. Catra cursed under her breath as she jumped from wall to wall to floor. First by his feet, kicking him hard in the chest. A blast nearly hit her arm so for her next attempt, she leapt from wall to ceiling, back down to hit his head with a spinning kick.

He staggered backwards, then steadied his shooting arm.

“Just,” she popped by his blinded left side, and hit him in the gut. He curled over and grabbed her by the wrist, “stay,” she twisted herself, kicking him with both feet, “the heck” she landed on her hands and then swept his feet from under him and he tumbled backwards, “down.”

He hit the back of his head, and suddenly lied very still. Catra panted for one moment, then two, before peering over him.

“Catra.” He rasped. His eyes shifted to red again.

“So you are in there.”

There was a long pause as he groaned and held his head, then he snarled at her and fired again. She rolled out of the way, then leapt on him, wrenching his cannon arm behind his back and pressing the cannon barrel against his spine, twisting. He twisted, turned, thrashed in attempts to break free, but only found he was hurting his arm more and more. So he stopped, and she dug her knee into his back.

“We should have a little talk.”  
“You want to talk?” He half coughed, half laughed, “now? While he kills your friends?”

“Those friends of mine,” Catra leapt on the train of thought, “include Entrapta. The longer you keep me here, the more likely she’s going to be killed too.” Hordak growled and tried to throw her off. Catra wretched his arm back and instead he reeled with pain. “What do I got to do to get you to help us?”

“Nothing.” He went still. Catra scowled.

“Look,” her voice dropped, “take it from me, Hordak, there’s nothing quite like knowing there are people around you. Rooting for you. Wanting you to come back home. Wanting you to be happy. To love you.” She let the words sink in. “Horde Prime can’t offer you anything like that. Power can’t give you that. Controlling people won’t give you that. You can tell yourself how much you don’t need it. You could probably convince yourself well too, but you’ll always feel like something’s missing.”

They stood there. Him still face down in the ground. Her still restraining him just in case. Finally, he spoke, softly, gently, almost weepingly. 

“I can’t fight his control.”  
“She wants you to come back with us.”  
“I don’t think that’s possible.”

Catra stared at the ground, her jaw set. Then she tugged him up, grabbing him by the back of the head and slammed his head against the floor once. Twice. Three times before he stopped moving.

Catra stood up, and frowned. She didn’t use enough force to crack bone, but he was still as water now. She sighed.

“Then do us all a favour. Don’t get back up.”

Bruised. Weary. Pained. Catra slowly rose to her feet and began padding down the hallway. She winced as she rolled her shoulders, hissed when dried blood gave way for a fresh bleed. She found it quiet. Eerie. Lonely. She felt like she was being stalked by a predator. A prey in a hunter’s vision as she headed closer and closer to the throne room.

A large window was up ahead and she froze, for a moment or two, staring down at Etheria. It was large. Wonderful. Gorgeous, and terrifyingly on fire. Catra choked back the bile that threatened to come up when she heard that voice. Not from up ahead, but from within.

“Are you enjoying the view?”

“GAAHH!” Catra put both hands to her ears and clawed at them while she heard him chuckling. Then, she heard it. Screaming. From a voice she knew well. The voice of someone she used to know almost as well as herself.

“If I were to start breaking bones,” Horde Prime seemed almost outwardly gallant in how gently he spoke, “where should I start? Left or right?”

“Damn you!” Catra hissed as she picked up her pace. She was at a trot now, and when she heard Adora’s screams from up ahead, she blasted into a full blown sprint. She burst into the throne room, only to trip over Scorpia’s still form. Entrapta was shaking like a leaf, staring up ahead to the throne where Adora lied, face down, awake, bleeding, and as Horde Prime casually leaned more pressure into the foot he had her pinned down with — in pain.

“Glad for you to join us.” Horde Prime gave her a lascivious smirk as he stood, pressing his weight firmly into Adora’s back and sending her shrieking. “I wanted you, and our darling Entrapta there to witness me destroy She-Ra once and for all.”

Catra’s hands curled into fists. She could see Bow knocked out a few feet to her left. In the corner of her eye on the right, she swore she saw Glimmer’s slumped, bruised form stir. Catra swallowed hard as she inched closer to Prime.

“What happens after that?” She asked.

“I could always use a brilliant mind.” His gaze was chilling as it landed on Entrapta, “and I think with a little reprogramming, you would make an excellent trophy. An effigy to Etheria, and what happens when people defy me.”

There was a beat. She heard the quietest of shuffles behind her, one that didn’t seem to belong to Entrapta. Behind Prime and to her right, she spotted Glimmer looking right at her. She shook when she was suddenly aware of just how close she was to Prime. He seemed to notice too, and frowned.

“Why…” he twisted his foot and sent Adora into another pained scream, “after all the upgrades I did, you shouldn’t be able to hide a thing from me. That’s how I found your filthy little rat’s nest of a safe hidden. So why can’t I see into your mind anymore?”

Catra raised her head, her green eyes meeting his, and she let a small smile pull at her lips as she stared him down.

“You didn’t break me, and you didn’t create me. When I fell, I rebuilt myself. For myself, and for the people I care about.”

“Insolent~”

A blast of energy caught him from the right, blinding him. Catra tackled him on that side. She heard Scorpia push herself to her feet and sprint, diving to pull Adora out of his grasp. Horde Prime growled when Catra clawed at his chest. He grabbed her leg and swung her around before grounding her.

She was dazed, breathless. Unable to protect herself when he then punched her in the face, once, twice.

Adora swung her staff at his head hard and fast and he let up, staggering. Just in time for Glimmer to throw two more bolts at him, and then teleport before he could whip broken tile in her direction. Scorpia tried to tackle him but was punched in the gut and then tossed away, hitting the floor hard.

Prime went for Adora next, but Catra was back on her feet, her fist managing to connect with his chin.

“Catra! Watch out!”

They flew at her so fast that she didn’t know what they were until the dozen probes stuck deep in her body. All her limbs suddenly went limp. The others went to attack, to free her, but backed off when Glimmer’s stray bolt flew and Prime used Catra’s own body as his shield, her arms and legs swinging like a ragdoll’s.

“I really did have such hopes for you.” Then, it jolted through her. Like fire and electricity in her veins, burning, consuming. She threw her head back and bellowed an ear splitting scream, her limbs now convulsing.

All she could think of was the pain. How she needed it to stop. Needed to get away from it as she writhed, and writhed. The pain stopped. She hung there, limp like a rag doll again, her gaze dazed. Her lips moved to make a sound.

“...switch…”

Horde Prime paid her little mind as he addressed the others. “Now, we can continue to do this the hard way, or we can skip to you accepting that this is the end.”

“You’re a monster,” Adora spat, “you know that?”

The fire came back. The electricity. The pain. The convulsions. The screaming tearing through her throat as she writhed. It felt like a small eternity, but suddenly it stopped again.

“...switch…” she breathed the word again. She spotted Glimmer from the corner of her eye watching in horror, but her gaze widening in realization.

“A monster?” Horde Prime questioned, ignoring Catra’s babblings. “I think that’s a little presumptuous. See, your deaths would be examples, and that by itself is a mercy to anyone who would try to follow your footsteps.” He reached up and let his hand gently brush along Catra’s cheek. “But in addition to that, I’m rather generous. See, I’d kill you quickly and mostly painlessly. Meanwhile here you are just letting me torture your poor, poor friend.”

To make his point, he clicked his fingers and Catra felt all her nerves fire at once again. This time it was longer, to the point where her muscles ached not just from the pain itself but the contractions. She wished it away, over and over and over, and instead she felt herself slipping. Slipping to a strange place of claws and fangs and power and dreams. Her eyes fluttered shut.

“For the Honour…” Prime stopped torturing Catra, curious as he watched Adora, “of Greyskull!” He smirked, but his attention was soon torn from She-Ra to the lion who now mauled him. It’s bite strength relentless as it clamped down on his shoulders and never let go.

“What is this!?” Horde Prime grabbed the panther by the scruff and tossed her bodily. She-Ra rushed in with a new sword, catching him in the side. The second swing was deflected and the thrust was dodged. Horde Prime was back to smirking triumphantly, but that faltered when he heard a mighty roar and the panther had caught him by the forearm. Distracted, he began punching the panther in the head over and over again, only stopping when one of She-Ra’s blows dug deep into his shoulder.

Glimmer was able to teleport again. She was by Entrapta’s side and the princess looked at the battle between Prime, She-Ra and Catra in awe and shock while Glimmer placed both hands on her shoulders.

“You and Catra made a back up plan, didn’t you?”  
Entrapta’s brow furrowed. “Hey! How did you know about that?”

“It’s Catra. It’s how she thinks.” Glimmer dismissed, then turned to Scorpia, “Can you bring Bow over here, please.” They all flinched away when the panther struck the ground beside them, its eyes fierce as it rolled, snorted and then sprinted back at Horde Prime again.

“She’s not stopping.” Entrapta remarked, awed.

“It’s like she can’t see anything else but him.” Glimmer frowned, “this could kill her. We need to finish this now. I’m not losing anyone else. Entrapta, what is the switch?”

“Part of the plan — well, other than our own robots — was to put out a electromagnetic wave so strong it would fry every electronic equipment he has.”

“Then do it!”

“Problem is…” Entrapta hesitated, “that would be all of our stuff too. Except whatever runs directly on First One’s Tech. We’d have no communicators, this entire ship would lose it’s engines and if we were close enough to our atmosphere it could draw us in and kill us all on re-entry.”

Glimmer’s face grew dark when she saw She-Ra hit the ground hard. “Do it.”

“But we could die!” Entrapta protested. Glimmer stood up and nodded when a barely standing Bow pushed to his feet and wobbled but nodded to her.

“You’re right.” Glimmer agreed, “but so will he!” With a battle cry, she threw more bolts at him and teleported. She returned behind him and kept firing.

“Bow!”

“I’m on it!” He fired two arrows. Each one, when hitting Horde Prime’s arms enveloped them in a strange, sticky substance that impeded their movement until he couldn’t. His glib soon turned to rage as he caught the panther again, sending her flying across the room and into a wall. 

“Catra!” She-Ra screamed watching as the panther shifted back into an unconscious Catra. This time it shifted back to Catra and she groaned in pain. In a swift movement, Prime then kicked She-Ra in the other direction and Glimmer winced at the audible crunch of metal and stood firm in front of Entrapta.

“Come on!”  
“But~”  
“We don’t have a choice!”

A loud vibration was felt. Then a loud screech. The lights all around them flickered, went out and all that was left was silence. The only light in the room came from the stars out of the windows and Horde Prime’s eyes. Their bodies began shifting, as if they were close to being weightless.

“What...did you do?” He breathed. Entrapta whimpered, but Glimmer used the sound of his voice and his glowing eyes to target him. He smacked away her beams.

“WHAT. DID. YOU. DO.” Entrapta scrambled to her feet as he swooped towards her, his hand out wide, ready to strike. Glimmer teleported in front of him, throwing beam after beam and watching them get knocked away, sparking across the dark room.

When he got to her, she tried to avoid his blows but he was swift and her advantage was from afar where her lack of vision didn’t detract. At this distance, she took blow after blow before being knocked down, dazed but not out. 

“Amazing.” Horde Prime spoke, hushed, “I’ll give you credit for guts. You have every intention of taking me out with you, don’t you?” He hummed. “Once we start entering the atmosphere without any engines to control the descent, we’ll break up and burn.”

Glimmer heard Adora, moving, limping carefully, quietly calling Catra’s name. She also heard Entrapta whimpering.

“The moment I saw his memories, I should have rid of you myself.” Prime hissed, his hand around Entrapta’s throat as he held her off the ground. “Perhaps my little brother’s pathetic tendencies rubbed off when I took his memories.”

Glimmer saw it then, creeping carefully, a set of green eyes. She whipped her head in the direction of Catra, but in the low shadows she could see her just barely stirring.

“No!” Prime made a strange sound when the clone in question grabbed him from behind, pulling his arms away from Entrapta. Glimmer teleported one more time to catch the Princess of Dryll while Bow loaded an arrow and Scorpia crouched, ready to tackle them both.

“Maybe, just maybe,” Hordak’s voice held such glee to it, “that pathetic nature was yours from the start, my dear big brother.”

“What are you doing!?” Prime tried to throw him off, but Hordak only tightened his grip. “Let go, or I’ll do far worse to you than reprogramming!” He sounded fearful. Panicked.

“You’ve lost.” Hordak laughed against his ear. “You’d be a fool to waste an opportunity like this, She-Ra!”

As if on cue, Glimmer saw her shadow loom by Horde Prime, her sword glow in the aetherial light, and then that glow disappeared into flesh. Hordak choked in pain first, but Horde Prime was second, and Glimmer squeezed her eyes shut as she saw Adora push the blade all the way through to the hilt.

“Th-thank you.” Hordak gasped for air, his chest rattled and he went still.

Horde Prime tried to push back to his feet, but he fell. He held his chest where the sword had pierced him, and then coughed. Wet. Bloody. He slumped to the floor, breathing strained, eyes full of fury.

“It’s over.” Adora declared, changing back from She-Ra. 

The victory was short lived when they felt the mothership tilt unnaturally. There was a groan that sounded distinctly metal and Adora looked around.

“We gotta go, now!”

Glimmer looped an arm around Bow. Adora helped Catra and Entrapta helped Scorpia. They stumbled over broken robots and lifeless clones alike. Each window they floated by made Etheria seem closer than the last, and the temperature seemed to be increasing by each second.

The metal screeched, and there was a hole like a gaping wound.

Entrapta yelped in surprise, shock and almost glee when she was almost pulled through but caught on by her hair. Catra was almost pulled out too, but she dogged her strong claws in and they managed to pull away from the hole, moving closer and closer to an exit.

The second blow out wasn’t so lucky, and they all found themselves in free fall, reaching for each other, missing Screaming, yelling. Glimmer teleported between them, grabbing them one by one until they formed a ring and she linked hands and they teleported back onto the ship again, watching Glimmer collapse.

“We’re too far from our spaceship.” Glimmer gasped from her knees. Adora looked out to the nearing Etheria sadly.

“At least…” Adora sighed, “we won for Etheria.” She murmured.

Catra gingerly approached, finding Adora’s hand and squeezing it. “Hey. It wasn’t all bad all the time, was it?”

Adora gave a gentle smile and squeezed her hand back. “No.”

”What if I told you…” Catra hummed, “we might have one last card to play?”  
“I’m not ready to stop living. We still haven’t patched things up you know.”

Catra squeezed Adora’s hand. “Hey, Entrapta?” She then pulled away.

“Yes?”  
“Doesn’t a portal run on first one’s tech, or, well, can’t it?”  
“Technically.”  
“And don’t you need a gem for it?”

“Oh, remember our studies on the Black Garnet? I still have a shard of that.” Entrapta then clicked in. “Brilliant!” She took out the pocket portal maker and began tinkering with settings. “If we set it on to this other setting here, and tell it to lock onto the first one’s tech signal from our spaceship, we should…”

She pushed a button, and a portal just small enough to fit a person appeared. The others looked at Entrapta, and then each other.

“You’re brilliant.” Catra informed. Entrapta glowed with glee and Catra gently took the pocket portal maker from her. “We need to go one at a time.”

Bow was first. After being convinced it was stable, Glimmer followed, then Adora, then Scorpia. Entrapta grinned and then frowned.

“That EMP destroyed all of my data pads on me!”  
“We can get you new ones. Now get going.” 

“Why wasn’t I invited to this lovely get away?”

The hair on Catra’s neck stood on end. “Entrapta...what do I press to get the other setting.”

Entrapta looked at her baffled. “But if you do that, who knows when you’ll come back, or if you could ever come back?”

“Don’t worry about that right now, what button do I press?”  
“The red one and the white to shut it off.”

She gave Entrapta the gentlest of hugs and then pushed her through before firmly hitting the white button.

“You’re still alive?”  
“You make it sound like you didn’t know. That you couldn’t feel it.”  
Catra stared at him. “The upgrades.”

“I knew there was a reason I liked you.” Horde Prime loomed in the shadows, confidence shining on his face. “I still have clones. And other ships. This isn’t over.”

“No. It definately is.” Catra strode towards him, head up, shoulders back. He was doubled over, barely able to take a breath. “Because what good is any of that if you can’t get to it?”

“I think you overestimate yourself.” He hissed. “You’re nothing to me.”  
“No.” Catra shook her head. “I think you’re the one who’s underestimating.”

Catra rushed towards Horde Prime, hit the red button, saw the portal appear and tackled him into it.

They slipped through like they were passing through water and when they ended up in a place with a starless sky, Horde Prime’s four eyes seemed to open with a sudden understanding and naked fear. Catra hit the white button just as he began scrambling for the device, but before he could reach it, she smashed it on the ground beside them, shattering the device into dozens of pieces.

“Make your peace, Horde Prime. You and I have nothing here except each other.”  
“You’d rot here, with my corpse?”

Catra gave him a smile as she leaned close. “You’ve always been a corpse.” She stood up and began walking away, and that’s when she heard something she never thought possible. Desperation.

“Wait! Where are you going!?”

“You have minutes. Possibly hours.” Catra replied simply.”If you’re really unlucky, maybe even days. Me though? I’ve got the rest of my life and plenty of things to do.”

That earned her a mixture of coughing, and laughing. “Like what?”

“How many planets? How many wars? How many people? How many little kids who had to grow up with Shadow Weavers because their parents were dead?”

Silence.

She whirled around to find his breaths even shorter, shallower, with long pauses. His eyes were hooded.

“Don’t…” he coughed and sputtered, “don’t let me...I don’t want to die.”  
“Neither did they.” She crouched by him and heard his last, strained words.  
“Not...alone.”

Catra closed her eyes. She inhaled, then exhaled. “You broke things. Badly. Maybe I can’t fix it, but I’m going to do my best to leave it better than you did.” Standing again, she turned and began walking away. “Goodbye, Horde Prime.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last Quote just had to go to Catra.
> 
> And that wraps up Tempest. Hopefully not a bad read for something that was entirely consciences and written in five days. Let me know what you think and please share if you enjoy!

**Author's Note:**

> I can explain. Really.
> 
> Insomnia.  
> Countless discussions about SPOP on Reddit  
> An idea.
> 
> And wanting a fic of mine to be canon compliant within the ongoing work (rather than waiting until a show is cancelled, is on long hiatus or is complete. Cough. My TDP stuff. Cough).
> 
> Six chapters are done.  
> Seven is in progress.
> 
> I know what happens for eight and nine. Somehow I want this done before Friday at noon.
> 
> Good luck me!


End file.
